[caption id="attachment_220" align="aligncenter" width="599" caption="Mets Closer Francisco Rodriguez has been traded to the Brewers ending a memorable Mets career on the field, but a forgettable one off it."]
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Multiple news sources are confirming that Mets closer, Francisco Rodriguez, has been traded to the Brewers for two players that have yet to be named.
The trade ends a somewhat tumultuous career in New York for the record-breaking closer. In 2010, he assaulted his girlfriend's father in the Mets clubhouse after a game. It was later revealed that Francisco Rodriguez had suffered a season-ending thumb ligament injury on his pitching hand.
When the Mets linked the injury to the clubhouse fracas, Rodriguez was placed on the disqualified list and lost a chunk of salary.
While Rodriguez was on the field, he was very productive in closing games for the Mets. In 2 1/2 seasons, he has appeared in 165 games, recording 83 saves, just one away from tying Roger McDowell for the sixth best saves mark in club history. His 23 saves in 2011 are tied for the eight best mark in the major leagues.
K-Rod's departure eases the financial burden on the Mets front office by clearing his tricky $17.5 million contract option for next year. However, his absence will be felt late in games, when Mets manager Terry Collins needs to call on a clutch arm out of his bullpen.
It is likely that Bobby Parnell, who has lately been hitting triple-digits with his fastball, will takeover at least a share of the closers role for the Mets for the remainder of the season.
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