Wandy Rodriguez #51 of the Pittsburgh Pirates reacts after giving up a solo home run in the second inning against the Chicago Cubs during the game at PNC Park April 3, 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
(Justin K. Aller/Getty Images North America)
PITTSBURGH — The last on-field memory of Wandy Rodriguez in a Pirates’ uniform is not a good one, the left-hander sprinting from the mound to the dugout as if he were trying to outrun the boos from the home fans at PNC Park.
That came Wednesday night when Rodriguez gave up six runs in 1 1/3 innings to the Orioles in a game the Pirates eventually won 9-8.
Rodriguez was designated for assignment Thursday before the Pirates played the Nationals at PNC Park. The Bucs have 10 days to trade Rodriguez, outright his contract to the minor leagues or release him.
The 35-year-old will almost certainly be released, because it is hard to imagine any team giving up something in trade for a pitcher who was 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in eight starts while giving up a whopping 10 home runs in just 26 1/3 innings.
The final off-field memory of Rodriguez with the Pirates came as he met the media following Wednesday night’s game. For the first time, the normally happy-go-lucky Rodriguez was somber and admitted his time with the Pirates had been difficult.
“Very frustrating,” he said. “Very frustrating.”
Rodriguez hid those frustrations for a long time, constantly smiling and joking as the beat-downs piled up. That led to the perception by both the media and some of his teammates that Rodriguez was just happy to be drawing his $13-million salary, $5.5 million of which was paid by the Astros as part of the trade that sent him to the Pirates.
You never know for sure what is in a man’s heart, but what was in the Pirates’ minds when they traded for Rodriguez in July 2012 was that he would help them make a push for a playoff spot both that season and the following two.
The trade signaled an end to the Pirates’ never-ending era of rebuilding as it was the first time general manager Neal Huntington made a prospects-for-veteran trade since being hired in 2007.
The Pirates got to the postseason last year, but Rodriguez had little to do with it. His last start was on June 5 before suffering a mysterious forearm strain that never seem to heal.
In all, Rodriguez was 11-10 with a 4.16 ERA in 31 games with the Pirates, though it didn’t seem like he contributed even that much.
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