Don’t let the nearly 100% save percentage fool you.

The man couldn’t find the strike zone consistently if it were the size of balloon boy’s get away vehicle. His .270 opponent’s average is damn right horrid. Sorry Angels fans, but I have to laugh at the fact that Fernando Rodney will be depended on in non-save situations. Sure, he has the stuff to be a setup man. His change up continues to develop, and the way Rodney over pitches, there will be times where he comes close to 100 miles an hour. That’s intriguing in the late innings to interested teams. Didn’t it click though to the Angels, when hardly anybody was wanting to pitcher when the off-season started. Didn’t it click when Houston chose Brandon Lyon over Rodney? Didn’t it make sense when the Orioles chose Mike Gonzalez over Fernando? Supposedly even the Phillies lacked interest in throwing gasoline on the fire.

I’m left wondering what is bigger, Rodney’s ego, his paycheck,  or the 6.08 ERA he put together in non-save situations last season. If Mike Scioscia thinks he went nuts last year with Brian Fuentes in the game, he better better get a tight grasp on that bullpen phone. At points it’s going to get ugly.

As weird as it sounds, those moments are going to be the ones this Tigers fan misses.

I don’t know why I enjoyed the abuse of a Fernando Rodney ninth inning, but I am surely going to miss it. Maybe it’s the pressure and roller coaster moments, not knowing if the lead was going to last pitch to pitch. Maybe it was the folly he brought to the mound.

A folly that goes beyond lack of location. When Fernando Rodney made his way to the mound as the closer in 2009, something just didn’t feel right. By the time he got off it, you were either chuckling with rage, or you had put a television remote through your new 50″ plasma TV.

Even though I built up enough frustration during the season to pull a Kevin Youkilis, I supported Rodney as the closer and rooted for him.  Even if sometimes it meant he would whoop my hopes and predictions with a little Kid Rick magic.

Maybe it’s because in my time as a Tigers fan, I have only come to know closers who make the ninth inning seem like the second coming of World War II. As strange as it is to say, I won’t will miss Fernando Rodney in the bullpen everyday. Something about that guy will be missed. I can’t quite put my finger on it, or even near it.

But for some reason I can’t wait to see that ninth inning man in action. It won’t be in a Tigers uniform, but hopefully he will win the closers job in Anaheim somehow. For the sake of the Angels and the sake of their fans.

Unlike Lyon and Rodney, second baseman Placido Polanco was not offered arbitration by the Tigers.  Polanco can now sign with any other club and the Tigers will get nothing in return for the type-A free agent.  Rumors had the Phillies and Twins among several teams interested in the now former Tiger. 

With Detroit ready to hand over the second base job to Scott Sizemore next season, this isn’t a huge surprise.  It seems the team did not want to risk having Polanco accept thier offer and thus tack on an additional $6 million or so to the payroll.  It’s a move that stings a bit for the fans, but a smart baseball move if the Tigers feel Sizemore is ready, and they obviously do.

The Tigers’ remaining free agents, Jarrod Washburn, Aubrey Huff, and Adam Everett did not qualify as either type-A or type-B and were not offered arbitration.  No surprises there.  Everett is drawing interest from Boston, but the Tigers are thought to be interested in bringing him back as well.

Listed below are potential free agents (and one coach) and what I feel are the chances they would be retained.

Jarrod Washburn (1% chance of returning) came over from Seattle at the deadline, but aside from one sparkling effort versus Kansas City, may have done more to harm the Tigers’ chances than help them.  Washburn has been so bad in Detroit that he no longer projects as a type-B free agent.  There is virtually no shot that he returns.

Aubrey Huff(8%) Huff was another last season acquisition who failed to live up to the expectations.  He did have the big home run against the Jays in September, but his time in the D was filled with 4-3 ground outs far too often.  Jim Leyland views him as strictly a DH, so there’s no reason to bring him back, unless he is willing to split time.

Adam Everett (50%) Everett did the job he was brought in to do and stabilized the infield defense.  Combining with Ramon Santiago, neither shortstop his particularly well, but that was expected.  If Everett wants to return, the Tigers will probably bring him back on another one year deal.  If not, there are other defensive infielders ready to come up that could probably hit just as well.

Fernando Rodney (40%) I’d actually be a bit surprised to see Rodney next season, but if the Tigers feel that he is a top-flight closer they may try hard to keep him.  If the rest of the league agrees, however, he could easily price himself out of the Tigers’ plans.  Either way, he’s due a hefty raise, and I think the Tigers would do well to pass.

Brandon Lyon (75%) Again, if the league thinks he’s a closer, he could command more cash than Detroit would want to spend, but he may have more value to this club than any other.  If Lyon returns and Rodney leaves, Lyon would be in line to close.  Even if he’s not closing, Lyon has proven that he is an important part of the bullpen and he will not be easily replaced.

Lloyd McClendon (18%) When the 2008 season ended the Tigers pitchers had held them back from being a better club.  Chuck Hernandez was shown the door, though he was just two years removed from leading the staff to the best ERA in the league.  Fast forward to 2009 and the weak spot on this club has been in the batter’s box.  I like Lloyd, but you cannot fire all of the hitters and a new voice may help.  I only give him as much chance of returning as I do because of his long history with Leyland.

UPDATE: I’m dumb and forgot the most important guy.

Placido Polanco (85%) There is still a good possibility that Polly will be playing elsewhere next season, but his strong second half helped to keep the Tigers rolling.  His defense was sound as always, though he does appear to have lost a step in the field.  I wouldn’t assume he would get a long-term deal in Detroit, but if Polly wants a contract for one or two years, I think the Tigers would be happy to keep him.  If he does leave, look for Scott Sizemore to get a chance to win the second base job in spring training.