Angels Pass K-Rod, but Might Want Manny

Francisco Rodriguez

A week ago, Francisco Rodriguez's agent, Paul Kinzer, revealed that his client still considered the Angels "at the top of the list." Today, Angels owner Arte Moreno (essentially) said, "Thanks, but no thanks." From the Los Angeles Times:

"Believe it or not, we really spent a lot of time and effort trying to re-sign Frankie," Moreno said. "There were six different offers on the table at different times, and this time last year, we thought we had him signed. Then Rivera got his deal.

"I'm not one of these never-never people, but I think as a whole, it's time to turn the page and move forward and get to things we need to do."

Mariano Rivera set the bar for stud closers by signing a three-year, $45 million deal, the richest ever for a reliever. After setting the major league save record, K-Rod is hoping to top that with a four or five year deal worth $15 million a season. Moreno has some of the deepest pockets in baseball, but he apparently agrees with my assessment that what his team needs is more hitting.

Moreno confirmed that re-signing Mark Teixeira was still his top priority but also had a lot of nice things to say about Manny Ramirez, which makes you think Manny might be his fallback plan should Tex leave:

"He did a heck of a job, he hit great, he was a fan favorite, he did a great job with their young players. At the end of the day, you want people who can hit, and he may be one of top right-handed hitters ever."

Of course, now that K-Rod isn't in the picture, I'll be shocked if the team can't find a way to keep Teixeira. Their biggest competition was probably the Yankees, but you have to imagine New York's interest has waned in the wake of today's trade for a new first baseman, not to mention their apparent intent to make CC Sabathia the game's highest-paid pitcher.

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Angels Pass K-Rod, but Might Want Manny originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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