The Mets Settlement with KRod Makes No Sense
First full disclosure: I am a Mets season ticket holder. Second full disclosure: if the Rangers and Giants wins their series' our long national nightmare is over.
Now on to the Mets' deal with their troubled closer, Francisco Rodriguez. Apparently, the labor settlement with the MLB Players' Union and the Mets allows the Mets to keep KRod' pay for his suspension (about $3 million) if the Mets give up their desire to convert KRod's last year of his contract to a non-guaranteed status.
This settlement makes no sense for the Mets for two reasons. First, KRod is still a criminal defendant charged with assault of his father in law and violating his order of protection. While it is extremely unlikely that KRod will ever do any jail time for these offenses, wouldn't you make sure of it first?
Secondly, the Mets made the wrong deal. KRod's actions were so wrong and outrageous, the Mets would certainly have the upper hand in an arbitration regarding the team's decision to suspend him and withhold his pay. The Mets should have insisted that KRod's investing option if he finishes 55 games next year should be voided if the team would agree to pay the last year his contract (if any and only if Rodriguez's criminal case was concluded). The voiding of the investing clause would have saved the Mets over $11 million and guaranteed that KRod was in the last year of his deal.
Maybe if KRod was pitching for a new contract he might have enough incentive to get his anger issues under control
My name is Christopher Fusco. I am the managing partner of Callahan & Fusco, LLC with offices in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.