TEMPE, Ariz. -- Maintaining a proper frame of mind might be a challenge this season for Francisco Rodriguez, the Angels closer who is headed for arbitration Thursday and, it's beginning to seem, out the door as a free agent after 2008.
Upon arriving for his first spring-training workout Sunday, Rodriguez was asked whether he's going into this season thinking it will be his last with the Angels.
"Yeah, probably," he said. "If they wanted me here, they would have done something a long time ago. In the meantime, I have to put that out of my head and do my job."
Rodriguez is quick to answer when asked whether he feels the Angels don't want him here.
"No, no, that's not what I'm saying, I don't want that in the paper," Rodriguez said. "It's just something I can't control."
Why hasn't he signed a long-term deal by now? "You're asking the wrong person," Rodriguez said, putting the onus on the team.
The Angels tried to secure Rodriguez to multi-year deals after the 2005 and 2006 seasons, and the sides couldn't agree to terms. The 26-year-old right-hander signed one-year contracts both winters.
The Angels made another offer, believed to be in the three-year, $34-million range, after last season. Rodriguez turned it down -- he is apparently looking for something closer to Mariano Rivera's deal (three years, $45 million) -- and the Angels pulled it off the table.
"We made what we thought was a fair offer, and it wasn't accepted," General Manager Tony Reagins said. "They said they were probably going year to year, which, to me, means they're going to explore their opportunities."
So are the Angels. Reagins said he has no plans to trade Rodriguez this season, but he is planning for a future without the closer. Setup man Scot Shields could close, and starters Kelvim Escobar or Ervin Santana could be moved to short relief.
"There are scenarios that include Francisco, and there are scenarios that don't include him," Reagins said. "He has an opportunity to explore free agency, so it wouldn't be smart on my end not to consider that there's a possibility he may not be here."
Rodriguez has been on the disabled list only once in five years, but some scouts believe his violent arm action and across-the-body motion make him more susceptible to injury. That could add some risk to a long-term investment in Rodriguez.
