"I don't think it's hurting the ballclub, either," he says. "I've been doing everything they've asked me to do. I'd like to settle the contract but, if I'm not here (next year), there's nothing I can do about it. As long as I do my job."
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Reagins declines to get too deep into the organization's thinking, other than to say, "We're open-minded to anything. We're not closing the door. He's earned the right to become a free agent."
Little has stopped the Angels on the free-agent market during Arte Moreno's time in the owner's chair. Vladimir Guerrero, Bartolo Colon, Kelvim Escobar, Gary Matthews Jr., Torii Hunter ... the club has made a far bigger splash with its checkbook than it has in the trade market.
But one thing with its closer is certain: Rodriguez isn't getting any cheaper.
"It's great for us," Moreno says. "And it's great for him."
Says K-Rod: "Anything could happen. Today, I'm here with the Angels. Tomorrow, I could be somewhere else."
• The Angels are 32-2 in games in which K-Rod has pitched this season.
• Other closers of note projected for this winter's free-agent market (barring, of course, new contracts or retirement): Philadelphia's Brad Lidge, St. Louis' Jason Isringhausen, San Diego's Trevor Hoffman, Colorado's Brian Fuentes, Arizona's Brandon Lyon, Cleveland's Joe Borowski and Atlanta's Rafael Soriano.
• Seattle is in the general manager market, and you're going to hear the names Brian Cashman (current GM with the Yankees) and Kevin Towers (San Diego) often in coming days -- and with good reason. Cashman is a free agent after the season and is in position to steer negotiations with the Yankees his way (such as: he retains total autonomy of baseball operations). Co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner said this spring that he intended to talk contract with Cashman this season when the moment is right, but they've yet to reach agreement. The Mariners job should be extremely attractive to Towers because he's an Oregon native, loves the area and there's been a philosophical shift in putting together a team in San Diego with Sandy Alderson in the president's chair.
• It's believed that Chris Antonetti (assistant GM in Cleveland), David Forst (Oakland assistant GM) and Al Avila (Detroit assistant GM) are on Seattle's short list as well.
• San Diego third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff is expected to be traded this summer to open the position for prospect Chase Headley, who was recalled from Triple-A Portland this week. The Padres don't believe Headley, who has worked hard in left field this spring and early summer, can adequately cover the large outfield in Petco Park, a source with knowledge of the Padres' thinking says. He couldn't be much worse than Paul McAnulty, whose latest failures helped cost Jake Peavy in Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.
• Two things that stood out in the New York Mets news conferences Tuesday following the overnight firing of Willie Randolph: Interim manager Jerry Manuel's characterization of the Mets' historic collapse last season ("catastrophic demise") and GM Omar Minaya clearly attempting to diffuse common suspicion that Jeff Wilpon, son of owner Fred, really is making the big decisions with over-the-top, repeated declarations that Minaya alone is in charge.
• Look for NL All-Star manager Clint Hurdle to pick another coach for his staff in place of Randolph. The deposed Mets skipper was on Hurdle's All-Star coaching staff and, while there are not any strict rules in place precluding a fired manager from participating, it would be awfully awkward on several levels. Especially now that the teams are playing for home-field advantage in the World Series. The logical replacement in the final season of Yankee Stadium is Dodgers manager Joe Torre, but Torre is said to have other plans -- and prefer to keep them.
• Mets shortstop Jose Reyes' talent is matched only by his continued immaturity, which he exhibited again with his petulant temper tantrum when Manuel removed him from Wednesday's game in the first inning. Manuel removed Reyes because of a stiff left hamstring, whereupon Reyes argued with Manuel and the trainer at first as he would an umpire. Then, on his way back to the Mets dugout, he ripped off his batting helmet and fired it probably 20 feet. He very publicly showed up his manager. Though he apologized to Manuel and teammates later, the Mets should have suspended him.
• Bet you didn't realize that Anaheim, home to Disneyland, was so bloody: Randolph is the third opposing manager since 1998 to have been sacked when his club was in Anaheim or headed there. Baltimore fired Lee Mazzilli in 2005 during a series with the Angels, and the Dodgers fired manager Bill Russell and GM Fred Claire in 1998 on the eve of an Interleague series at Angel Stadium.
• Ken Griffey Jr. to Tampa Bay? How about the odds of Griffey to anywhere are not good. Here's one veteran major league scout on Griffey: "He looks done. He can't hit a good fastball anymore. His bat has really slowed."
• With catcher Victor Martinez on the disabled list for an extended time, Travis Hafner on the DL and Fausto Carmona out, everyone's watching what Cleveland does over the next month. Industry sources believe the Indians will wind up trading pitchers C.C. Sabathia and Paul Byrd. Sabathia is 5-5 with a 2.21 ERA over his past 11 starts after beginning the season 0-3 with a 13.50 ERA. He next pitches Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• The speculation already is under way that San Francisco must find a way to bring fired Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson to the Bay Area as the latest mechanic to take a whack at fixing Barry Zito. Peterson and Zito remain exceptionally close from their days together with the Oakland A's.
• Yes, Alex Rodriguez has hit in 17 of his past 19 games and had homered in four consecutive games through midweek. But don't underestimate the fact that the Yankees' run of winning 11 of 14 since June 4 has coincided with Jorge Posada's return from the disabled list. Posada is batting .379 with two homers and seven RBI in 11 games since returning. And with him back in the mix, Yankees pitchers threw 24 consecutive scoreless innings from Saturday through Tuesday. And they beat Houston 13-0 on Sunday and San Diego 8-0 on Tuesday. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the Yanks won consecutive shutouts, each by eight runs or more, was back in 1944 when they swept a Labor Day doubleheader over the Philadelphia Athletics 10-0 and 14-0 in the Bronx.
• As for A-Rod, the Yankees are 19-9 since his return from the disabled list. They were 6-11 while he was on it.
• Grrrrrr: You can put Marcus Thames in with Rudy York (1937), Hank Greenberg (1940), Vic Wertz (1950) and Willie Horton (1969) as the only Detroit Tigers players to crack homers in five consecutive games. Thames' streak ended Wednesday in San Francisco.
