It's about time.
The New York Mets are finally trying to punish Francisco Rodriguez for his bad behavior, trying to hit him where it hurts: in his wallet.
The Mets placed KRod on the disqualified list and converted his deal to a non-guaranteed contract, meaning he will lose at least the $3 million he is owed for the rest of the 2010 regular season and could lose the next year of his contract. The move was made following the season-ending thumb injury on Rodriguez's right pitching hand suffered when he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend's father at Citi Field last week. KRod will not be paid or accrue major-league service time while on the disqualified list as he rehabs following successful thumb surgery. Good for the Mets for finally stepping up and showing KRod they will no longer tolerate his self-destructive behavior.
I do wonder about the motives of the Mets owners. Is the move about the Mets sending a message they will no longer tolerate bad behavior that hurts their team? Or is it about saving some cash? Maybe it's a little of both. But the Mets reportedly wanted to impose a harsher punishment than the two-day suspension for the fight, only to be prevented from doing so by the players' union. Maybe they are using the injury to seek a more appropriate penalty, one they wanted to enforce from the very beginning. I hope that’s the case, but I doubt it given that team officials have looked the other way for far too long.
But the main point is that the Mets are finally standing up and doing the right thing. Even if they lose this fight, which they could with the union already vowing to challenge the decision, the Mets can comfort themselves with the knowledge that they finally took a stand against thuggery in their ranks.
The New York Mets are finally trying to punish Francisco Rodriguez for his bad behavior, trying to hit him where it hurts: in his wallet.
The Mets placed KRod on the disqualified list and converted his deal to a non-guaranteed contract, meaning he will lose at least the $3 million he is owed for the rest of the 2010 regular season and could lose the next year of his contract. The move was made following the season-ending thumb injury on Rodriguez's right pitching hand suffered when he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend's father at Citi Field last week. KRod will not be paid or accrue major-league service time while on the disqualified list as he rehabs following successful thumb surgery. Good for the Mets for finally stepping up and showing KRod they will no longer tolerate his self-destructive behavior.
I do wonder about the motives of the Mets owners. Is the move about the Mets sending a message they will no longer tolerate bad behavior that hurts their team? Or is it about saving some cash? Maybe it's a little of both. But the Mets reportedly wanted to impose a harsher punishment than the two-day suspension for the fight, only to be prevented from doing so by the players' union. Maybe they are using the injury to seek a more appropriate penalty, one they wanted to enforce from the very beginning. I hope that’s the case, but I doubt it given that team officials have looked the other way for far too long.
But the main point is that the Mets are finally standing up and doing the right thing. Even if they lose this fight, which they could with the union already vowing to challenge the decision, the Mets can comfort themselves with the knowledge that they finally took a stand against thuggery in their ranks.
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