Former Rays lockdown closer looks to continue baseball journey at the age of 47

Most 47-year old athletes are starting to survey retirement options and make a decision that can keep them comfortable with limited labor and effort. However, this former major league reliever has chosen a different path. According to Sports Illustrated, Fernando Rodney is returning to baseball via an independent league in Canada called the Intercounty Baseball League.

Rodney started his 17-year career with the Detroit Tigers in 2002. The Dominican relief pitcher spent seven seasons with the Tigers, displaying inconsistent results during this stint. The right-hander finished with a 15-30 record and a 4.28 ERA in 330 innings of work.

Afterwards, the electric closer signed with the Angels out of free agency during the 2009 offseason and similarly put up mediocre numbers.

Rays signed Fernando Rodney to a one-year deal in 2012

Rodney finally hit his stride and fulfilled his immense potential after signing with the Tampa Bay Rays on January 4th, 2012. The Rays signed the hard-throwing hurler to a one-year, $2 million contract with a club option for the 2013 season. This deal turned out to be an absolute steal.

Rodney displayed a record-breaking performance as the Rays closer in the 2012 season. The explosive reliever finished the year with an astonishing 0.60 ERA and a franchise record 48 saves. The entirety of the league took notice also, as Rodney received enough votes to finish 5th in the Cy Young race behind Felix Hernandez, Jered Weaver, Justin Verlander, and the Rays ace starter, David Price. Price won his first Cy Young award in 2012 as he went 20-5 with a 2.56 ERA.

We believe that too many fans are undermining just how impressive the 2012 campaign was for the 35-year old Fernando Rodney. He led the MLB in ERA with his 0.60 stat, just ahead of distinguished closer, Craig Kimbrel.

These numbers are rivaled by very few in the history of MLB closers. In a rare occurence, Guardians pitcher, Emmanuel Clase completed the 2024 season just a tick higher in ERA. The Rio San Juan native was also considered for the AL Cy Young award, falling short to Triple Crown winner, Tarik Skubal.

Fernando Rodney returns to play for the Hamilton Cardinals

Despite being out of the MLB for five seasons, Rodney is joining the Hamilton Cardinals of the Intercounty Baseball League to continue his baseball journey. It's hard to know if the 47-year old is attempting an MLB comeback story of the century or just looking to fill his days with competition, but regardless, this is exciting news.

We wish the former Rays closer the best with his new team and we're sure he'll be a tremendous asset to the organization with his wealth of knowledge and experience.