Rodriguez can't be the one that gets away

His appearances are rarely uneventful.

A walk, a breaking ball that doesn't break as it should, and Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez brings fans squirming toward the edge of their seats.

That includes Tony Reagins, the Angels' general manager.

"I'm human too, so nerves come into play," Reagins said.

"It may not be pretty all the time, but the results are there -- and that's what we're looking for on a nightly basis, the end result."

Rodriguez has gotten the desired result more often than any closer the last three years, recording 132 saves in that span.

But he may take his tightrope act elsewhere after this season, when the $10-million contract he was awarded in arbitration is over and he can test the free-agent market.

Last winter -- and even last month -- the Angels could put up a good argument for letting him go.

Closers with lesser credentials than his got crazy money during the off-season: Minnesota kept Joe Nathan with a four-year, $47-million deal, and Cincinnati gave Francisco Cordero a four-year, $46-million contract. Rodriguez would be justified to ask for even more.

And when he got off to a shaky start this season, plagued by sore ankles and blowing a save against Cleveland on April 7, letting him depart didn't seem like such a bad idea.

Not anymore.

Although Rodriguez wasn't needed in the Angels' 6-1 rout of the Oakland A's on Wednesday, he ended the month with more confidence and better numbers than seemed likely a few weeks ago.

The Angels may look at their budget and say they can't afford to keep him.

In reality they can't afford to lose Rodriguez, who has developed an effective slider and polished the changeup he brought out last year to the point where it's a reliable out-pitch.

Over the winter they offered him a three-year deal for a reported $34 million, and he declined. Reagins said Wednesday the two sides had "kind of tabled things" but didn't close the door on seeking common ground later.

"We know what he brings to the table, what he had done for our organization and our club over the years. So that part of it is not a concern," Reagins said. "It's just a matter of working out things.

"He's young. I think youth is on his side. You never know in this game. Injuries are always a part of the picture but when youth is on your side, I like youth."