AGRI Biz

The Washington Nationals checked another item off their Winter Meetings to-do list, signing catcher Ivan Rodriguez to a two-year, $6 million contract.á The team envisions the future hall-of-famer to back-up Jesus Flores, play his mentor, and help nurture a young, up-and-coming pitching staff. Whether or not the 38-year old Rodriguez is up to the task is anybody's guess.á But GM Mike Rizzo surely believes that the man they call "Pudge" is up to it. Last year, between Texas and Houston, in 448 plate appearances, Rodriguez hit .249/.280/.384 with 10 home runs, 23 doubles and 47 RBI.á He walked just 23 times, for a woeful 4.8 percent walk rate.á On the defensive side, he threw out 6 of the 13 runners that tried to steal against him, a 46 percent rate, up from recent ...

Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - MLB
Article written by Dave Nichols