Nationals sign Ivan Rodriguez to free agent deal
Posted on December 8, 2009
Texas Rangers catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez bats against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, CA during the 1997 season. (Photo by Brad Mangin)
Well, there goes the San Francisco Giants chance to sign catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez to a short-term contract to help break in rookie Buster Posey behind the plate. It was learned late Monday night that the Washington Nationals had signed the much-traveled all-star catcher Rodgriguez to a two-year, $6 million deal. Rodriguez, 38, will serve as a backup and mentor to young backstop Jesus Flores.
Ivan Rodriguez #12 of the Houston Astros fields a swinging bunt and throws to first base against the San Francisco Giants during the game at AT&T Park on July 5, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)
Rodriguez spent the 2009 season bouncing around between the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers where he hit a combined .249 with 10 homers and 47 runs batted in. Rodriguez, who broke in with the Rangers in 1991 is a shell of his former self after he was named by Jose Canseco as a steroid user in the book “Juiced.”
Portrait of Ivan Pudge Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers in the dugout during a game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California in 1997. (Photo by Brad Mangin)
I first photographed Pudge extensively for a Sports Illustrated cover story in July of 1997 in Oakland. He was always fun to shoot, especially in the dugout as he always had a bat in his hands and was very photogenic with his eye black and bulging muscles (see above).
Texas Rangers catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez in action against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, CA during the 1997 season. (Photo by Brad Mangin)
Because Pudge is a catcher we were often denied the opportunity to shoot him in Oakland during his days with the Rangers because the day games we photographed usually followed night games. Day games after night games are a perfect opportunity for a manager to give his starting catcher a day off, and this meant there were many frustrating days for me at the ballpark in Oakland when instead of shooting Pudge behind the plate I was stuck with shooting Henry Mercedes, Dave Valle, or John Marzano.
Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez during Game 2 of the ALCS against the Oakland Athletics at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, CA on October 11, 2006. (Photo by Brad Mangin)
Heading into the upcoming 2010 season Rodriguez is sitting on a career .299 batting average with 305 homers and 1,264 runs batted in. He won the American League MVP Award in 1999, won 13 Gold Glove Awards and has been named to 14 all-star teams. He has the Hall of Fame numbers. But will he get in? He is part of the steroid era and has been followed by whispers for many years as he has bounced around from the Rangers to the Marlins to the Tigers to the Yankees to the Astros to the Rangers and now to the Nationals.
Detroit Tigers batter Ivan Rodriguez waits in the on deck circle during Game 1 of the ALCS against the Oakland Athletics at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, CA on October 10, 2006. (Photo by Brad Mangin)
It will be interesting to see what Pudge does with the Nationals in 2010. I bet he doesn’t even last the season and the Nationals will be left on the hook for year two of the contract. I see him breaking down and the club being pretty awful. Again. Now I wonder who is going to catch for the Giants? They say Posey will not be ready for a full-time gig. Yorvit Torrealba anyone?
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