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Francisco Rodriguez Reportedly Signs Nationals Contract, Will Report to Minors

The Washington Nationals signed relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez to a minor league deal Monday, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.

The move comes after the Detroit Tigers released Rodriguez on June 23 after he encountered struggles galore at the start of the 2017 season.

In 28 appearances for the Tigers, Rodriguez went 2-5 with a 7.82 ERA, seven saves and six blown saves—a mark that ranked first among all pitchers at the time of his release.

"It wasn't an easy decision in the sense that Frankie's got a long track record, he's one of the best closers in the history of the game, over 400 saves," manager Brad Ausmus told reporters when Rodriguez was removed from the closer's role in May.