Reporting four days later than the rest of the Brewers' pitchers and catchers, there had been some speculation that perhaps Rodriguez was unhappy returning to the team and reprising his role as a setup man to closer John Axford even though he willingly accepted arbitration.
Not so, says Rodriguez.
"Not at all," said Rodriguez, who reported late because he was tending to a personal issue back home in Venezuela.
"Im really honored and happy to be here, trust me. If I did not feel comfortable at all last year, or I didnt like the city, trust me wed go our separate ways. But the way they made me feel made my decision a lot easier, and Im here once again."
Rodriguez was acquired by the Brewers in a trade over the all-star break last year, and went on with Axford to form one of the best back ends of any bullpen in baseball. He went 4-0 with a 1.86 earned-run average in 31 games with the Brewers, tying the National League lead with 17 holds in the second half.