It's the end of the road for veteran reliever Fernando Rodney in Seattle.
The 2014 MLB saves leader and two-time All-Star was designated for assignment following the Mariners 6-3 loss*to the Chicago White on Saturday night.
The move means Rodney is immediately off the Mariners major league and 40-man rosters. He now enters a 10-day window in which he'll be traded, released, claimed on waivers or sent to the minors. Rodney has the option of declining a minor-league assignment to become a free agent.
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It once again goes to show just how quickly the career arc of a relief pitcher can go off track. For several seasons Rodney was among the most reliable relievers in MLB, which earned him a a two-year, $14 million deal with Seattle last winter.
Rodney lived up to the contract in 2014, earning all-star honors and leading MLB with 48 saves. His 2.65 ERA was the second lowest of his 13-year career, behind only the 0.60 ERA he posted in 76 appearances with Tampa Bay in 2012.*The Mariners were obviously hopeful he'd have one more good season in him before his contract runs out.*However, in his age 38 season, Rodney has fallen off the cliff, posting a full-season career worst 5.68 ERA over 54 appearances.*
In early June, Rodney ceded full-time closing duties to Carson Smith. Since, he's served mainly as a set up man working the seventh and eighth innings. The results have remained hit-or-miss, and the Mariners decided a shake up was needed after consecutive rough outings against the Rangers and White Sox.*
At this point, it's expected that Rodney has played his final game for the Mariners. The question now is whether or not another team, perhaps even a contending team, will take a flier on a guy with late-inning experience. In order to quality for a postseason roster, Rodney would have to land on the 25-man roster before Sept. 1. So if something is going to happen, it'll have to come before the 10-day window is up.*
The experience Rodney brings can be difficult to overlook, but the reality of his situation this season is even more difficult to ignore. He's simply not a good pitcher right now, and unless a pitching coach out there finds something on video that's fixable, there's probably not much reason for near term optimism.

Rodney will likely end up with a minor-league deal in September or over the winter, meaning we'll have to wait and wonder until spring if we've seen our last arrow in MLB.*
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813