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K-Rod: Mets Are Team To Beat

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The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 14, 2008

NEW YORK - Francisco Rodriguez has a message for the Philadelphia Phillies and the rest of the NL East.

"Of course, we're going to try to win the division. Of course, we're going to be the front-runner. Of course, we're going to be the team to beat," he said Saturday.

Four days after agreeing to a $37 million, three-year contract, K-Rod was confident the Mets will put consecutive September collapses behind them and overtake the World Series champion Phillies in ruling the NL East.

"I don't want there to be a controversy or the other ballclubs in that division to take it personally or take it in a bad way," he said. "If they ask me, 'Oh, which ballclub is going to win the National League East?' It's going to be the Mets. Easy question."

In 2007 and 2008, the Mets treated their fans much the same way Lucy dealt with Charlie Brown trying to kick a football: They promised everything would be different this time, only to yank the ball away at the end. September leads evaporated, and they were eliminated on the last day of the regular season.

Thursday, Phils ace Cole Hamels took a shot at the Mets.

"For the past two years they've been choke artists," he said on WFAN radio.

Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins began the verbal sparring before the 2007 season when he said the Phillies were the team to beat in the division - even though the Mets came within one win of reaching the World Series the previous year.

"Everybody knows what happened, unfortunately. They didn't get the job done. Unfortunately, you know, it happens," Rodriguez said Saturday from Venezuela during a conference call. "We cannot be living with the past. We've just have to get that behind us and get focused."

In a span of four days, the Mets reached a deal with K-Rod, acquired J.J. Putz from Seattle and exiled three of the guilty, trading Aaron Heilman, Joe Smith and Scott Schoeneweis. The Mets want to forget a season in which they blew 29 of 72 save chances.

INDIANS: Former Chicago Cubs star Kerry Wood is Cleveland's new closer after finalizing a $20.5 million, two-year contract, a deal that includes a 2011 option that could become guaranteed.

ROCKIES: Reliever Alan Embree agreed to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2010.

ROYALS: Reliever Kyle Farnsworth agreed to a $9.25 million, two-year contract.

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