Hamilton Cardinals sign Major League Baseball champ Fernando Rodney for 2025 season

The Hamilton Cardinals have made a "significant" addition to their lineup with the signing this week of former Major League Baseball all-star pitcher Fernando Rodney for the 2025 season.

Rodney's storied career spans 17 years in the MLB, during which he donned the jerseys of 11 teams, including the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners. The 47-year-old brings "leadership" and a lot more to the Hamilton team, owner Eric Spearin said. 

The Cardinals are one of nine teams in the Intercounty Baseball League in Southern Ontario. 

"Our league is typically made-up of baseball players that may have made the major leagues, like the Blue Jays … so the fact that we signed Fernando Rodney is significant," Spearin told CBC Hamilton via telephone from the Dominican Republic — Rodney's home country. 

"He's been an all star, World Series champion. He's won the World Baseball Classic, he's known as one of the greatest all-time baseball players."

Rodney is a three-time All-Star, in 2012, 2014, and 2016. According to a media release from the Cardinals, Rodney's "finest season" was in 2012 while with the Tampa Bay Rays.

"That year, Rodney set a franchise record with 48 saves and posted an extraordinary 0.60 [Earned Run Average, or ERA] over 74.2 innings pitched, earning him the AL Comeback Player of the Year and Delivery Man of the Year honours. His performance also set a then-record for the lowest ERA in a single season by a reliever with at least 50 innings pitched," the release said. 

Rodney is older than his new teammates — the average age of players is 27-28 years old — but Spearin said this is an added benefit to the team.

"They've watched Fernando pitch for a number of years, so I think that makes it even more exciting for them.