Strong Interest In Francisco Cordero

Jonathan Papelbon set the market for closers when he signed a four-year, $50 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Now teams are swarming for relievers, before the price steepens even more. One of the relievers teams are looking at is right-handed Francisco Cordero, who became a free-agent after the Cincinnati Reds declined his $12 million club option.

Mark Sheldon of MLB.com spoke with Cordero's agent, Bean Stringfellow, and he had this to say:

"We've had probably seven or eight teams inquire with interest, a couple of more since Papelbon's deal. It's all ongoing and it's still early. There's been strong interest, including from the Reds."

Cordero, 36, posted a 2.45 ERA, 5.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 in 69.2 innings of work in 2011. It's hard to see how giving a reliever on the wrong side of his 30s is a good idea. A team that isn't drafting in the first fifteen slots would also forfeit their first-round selection to the Reds.