"Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin decided that two closers are better than one.

That was the scenario late Tuesday night when the Brewers pulled off a somewhat stunning trade, acquiring Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez and cash from the New York Mets for two players to be named.

Nicknamed "K-Rod" for his prolific strikeout rates, the 29-year-old right-hander has 291 career saves in 10 seasons combined with the Los Angeles Angels and Mets, including a single-season record of 62 in 2008 with the Angels. In his third season with New York, the four-time all-star is 2-2 with a 3.16 earned run average and 23 saves in 42 games.

The Brewers already have one of the most efficient closers in the National League in right-hander John Axford, who has converted 20 consecutive saves and 23 of 25 for the season. How Axford and Rodriguez will be used together remains to be seen, but the move strengthens the back of a bullpen that had been somewhat shaky in recent weeks.

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin would not say whether Rodriguez or Axford would be the primary closer for the remainder of the season.

"We're trying to get as many quality pitchers as we can for the last 2½ months of the season," said Melvin. "We're trying to get as much quality as we can.

"This gives us another quality arm in the bullpen. I talked to John and I told him not to worry about it. I told him roles will be dictated by games and by (manager) Ron (Roenicke).

"I couldn't walk away from the chance to get a pitcher like Francisco and wish later I hadn't let him get away. We've had some injuries in our bullpen, including (setup man Takashi) Saito, and if I let (Rodriguez) get away and somebody went down, I'd kick myself."

The unspecified amount of cash coming to the Brewers will help defray what remains of Rodriguez's $11.5 million salary for 2011. He also has a club option for 2012 at $17.5 million with a $3.5 million buyout. The Brewers already are operating with a payroll of around $90 million."