Wandy Rodriguez signs a three-year deal with the Houston Astros
Already a club player with the Houston Astros, Wandy Rodriguez made the eloquent decision to continue on with the club for the next three years. He signed an extension deal and confirmed the reports leaking out which linked him to the contract.
This marks an end to the battle that saw the ballplayer and the team engage in a dispute over a salary package for the year. The arbitration panel had not been called in but it looked like the two parties would be heading to the third party for a resolution.
The deal will see Rodriguez avail $34 million over the next three seasons. There is a vesting option for year 2014 and if that is taken up in the future, the total contract value will go up to $44.5 million.
General Manager, Ed Wade, was particularly happy with the deal as his focus on teeing in arbitration eligible players now moves onto Hunter Pence.
"We're very pleased to get this done," said Wade of Rodriguez's deal. "Wandy is one of the top left-handed starters in the game. With pending free agency and its uncertainty, it made all the sense in the world for us. Wandy made it clear he wants to be a
part of the Astros. Now, he'll be here for at least the next three years and hopefully beyond that."
Rodriguez was decent in 2010, as he pitched 11 games to victory and lost 12 matches in the process. Furthermore, he established an Earning Runs Average of 3.60 in the season, making him a formidable player against rivals on the plate. The figures may be
less attractive than the ones from 2009 but his 178 strike outs with 68 walks in that year suggest he’s a hot commodity in the market.
"This is a home grown player that has been here and worn our uniform proudly and made us proud for a number of years," Wade told reporters in Houston on Tuesday. "And I think to be able to reach out and get a deal done like this, I think it sends a lot of
the right signals. At the end of the day, I think the most important thing is we have one of the top left-handed starting pitchers in baseball going out there every fifth day for the next three-plus years - and we hope the next four and beyond."
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