Francisco Rodriguez Reportedly Released by Nationals

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported Friday that the Washington Nationals released veteran reliever Francisco Rodriguez.

K-Rod was released by the Detroit Tigers in June and signed to a minor-league contract by the Nats shortly thereafter. He never appeared in a game for Washington.

The 35-year-old Rodriguez struggled in 28 appearances for the Tigers this season, going 2-5 with a 7.82 ERA and six blown saves in 13 attempts.

Rodriguez hadn't posted an ERA higher than 3.24 in any of the previous four seasons.

A six-time All-Star, K-Rod is among the most successful closers in MLB history.

He ranks fourth all-time in saves with 437, and he finished in the top four of the Cy Young Award voting on three different occasions.

Rodriguez's 62 saves in 2008 still stand as a single-season record.

Washington's one Achilles' heel this season has been its bullpen, as it ranks last in Major League Baseball with a bullpen ERA of 5.20.

Rodriguez racked up 44 saves last season, and although the 2016 campaign has been a nightmarish one, his impressive resume may be enough to land him an audition with another reliever-needy club in the near future.