MIAMI (AP) -In a matter of hours, Arthur Rhodes left the team with the worst record in the American League and joined contenders in the NL East.
Coast-to-coast flight aside, it was probably a pretty good day for the left-handed reliever, traded to the Florida Marlins by the Seattle Mariners on Thursday for minor league pitcher Gaby Hernandez.
“I was shocked,” Rhodes said Friday. “There had been a lot of talk that I was going to be traded to a couple teams, but I guess Florida wanted me more. It’s great to come over here on a winning team.”
Rhodes arrived in South Florida in time for the Marlins’ game against the Colorado Rockies on Thursday night, but did not pitch. He said he was ready to throw Friday, if needed.
“Once you get traded, you come over to a new team and you just got to come over and do what you do,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes is 2-1 with a 2.86 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 22 innings. He has a career record of 77-61 with a 4.28 ERA in 689 games.
At 38, he brings some experience to Florida’s young pitching staff.
“I think that’s a big presence in the locker room,” Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said.
In May 2007, Rhodes underwent Tommy John surgery but came back ahead of schedule this year and pitched effectively.
“You just got to keep your arm in shape and do everything in the offseason, do everything right, and you can play this game a long time,” Rhodes said. “Everybody’s got talent, but if you want to stay in the game a long time, you’ve just got to keep your head straight.”
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