The New York Mets have shocked a lot of baseball fans during the first half of the MLB season, and the Amazin's could make a more shocking move by the July 31 trade deadline. According to the New York Post's Ken Davidoff, a source familiar with the club has told him the Mets are interested in bringing back relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez.
Davidoff says the Milwaukee Brewers, who sit in fourth place in the NL Central Division, are still trying to decide if they're going to be buyers or sellers at the deadline, but if they become sellers "K-Rod" is a piece they'd be willing to give up.
The Brewers likely won’t act until after the All-Star break; they start a four-game home series with the Marlins tonight and visit the Astros for the weekend. Attanasio, not one to give up easily, will make the final call.
Of course, the acquisition of Rodriguez would be a tough sell to Mets' fans, who had a rocky relationship with the high-profiled, former closer. Despite the history, Davidoff believes the positives outweigh the negatives:
He might not go down as a great New York success, but K-Rod wouldn’t be surprised by anything in the Mets’ universe. He behaved markedly better last year, upon returning from his 2010 arrest for attempted assault of his children’s grandfather at Citi, and he enjoyed a positive working relationship with Terry Collins.
Rodriguez was a Met from 2009 until he was traded to the Brewers in the middle of the 2011 season. He saved 83 games in his two-plus seasons with the Mets.