Mets and Rodriguez near settlement?

[metirish]

@Joelsherman1heard http://bit.ly/c4QlC1 K-Rod grievance was adjourned, settlement likely with #Mets



http://m.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/rod_mets_closing_in_on_settlement_IQij6aOKqIr4FWcnJdru3K

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Do you think this means KRod will be gone, or do you think this means they have a deal on how much he gets paid for last season?

[metirish]

Good question, I would think it's more than his pay for this past season.

[Frayed Knot]

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Do you think this means KRod will be gone, or do you think this means they have a deal on how much he gets paid for last season?

I think it's all about 2010's pay.
I'd be shocked if they get out of the future years of the deal.

[MFS62]

Wasn't there a "games appearance" clause that set a base number for the option year automatically to kick in?
I'm guessing they re-negotiated that number because of the suspension.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

KRod's 2012 option of $17.5mil becomes guaranteed with:

55 games finished in 2011,
AND
100 games finished in 2010-11
AND
doctors declare him healthy after 2011
He receives $3.5M termination buyout if 2012 option does not become guaranteed


Rodriguez finished 46 games in 2010 so, if things stand where they are now, he still needs the same 55 games finished next year in order to get the 2012 option to kick in. Those 55 plus the 46 from this past season satisfies the 100+ games finished clause for the two seasons combined, which all means that the missed time at the end of 2010 changes nothing as far as those clauses are concerned.
The "doctors declare him healthy" clause is interesting. Try negating the option on those grounds without lawsuits and grievances flying every which way.

The other way to futz with the option is to simply not let him finish games. See above under, Grievance, subheading: Flying

[ashie62]

I'm going with loss of wages for time injured in 2010. He gets paid all of 2011 and no Mets 2012 cash for Krod.

I would think Krod could do better on the issue of nothing vesting for 2012 should that turn out to be the case.

[batmagadanleadoff]

A settlement doesn't necessarily have to resemble what the arbitrator would have decided. So for example, if both sides concede that K-Rod would, at a minimum, forfeit the remainder of his 2010 salary, post-fight, the Mets might be willing to pay K-Rod's entire salary in exchange for an increase in the number of games K-Rod must finish for the 2012 guarantee to vest. There are an infinite number of ways to settle this matter.

Having just said that, I suspect that K-Rod's 2012 salary won't vest. Parnell, or some other reliever that, perhaps, isn't even on our radar yet, will step up and demonstrate that he's capable of pitching the ninth inning (wink, wink). Or the next Mets manager might think that the team's most effective reliever ought to putting out fires whenever they occur, whatever inning they occur.

[ashie62]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: A settlement doesn't necessarily have to resemble what the arbitrator would have decided. So for example, if both sides concede that K-Rod would, at a minimum, forfeit the remainder of his 2010 salary, post-fight, the Mets might be willing to pay K-Rod's entire salary in exchange for an increase in the number of games K-Rod must finish for the 2012 guarantee to vest. There are an infinite number of ways to settle this matter. Having just said that, I suspect that K-Rod's 2012 salary won't vest. Parnell, or some other reliever that, perhaps, isn't even on our radar yet, will step up and demonstrate that he's capable of pitching the ninth inning (wink, wink). Or the next Mets manager might think that the team's most effective reliever ought to putting out fires whenever they occur, whatever inning they occur.

Dumbass question here, but after this is settled is he still a Met?

[Guest Edgy DC]

We'll see when we see the settlement, but I imagine for the immediate future, yes. I doubt Ricco has anything like the juice to perform a buyout. If the Mets indeed want a full divorce, settling for this year would be have to come first.

[Frayed Knot]

Almost certainly. The only real out is if the option goes away then he'll be easier to trade over the winter.
But I can't see any way that the contract will simply be terminated prior to next season.

[G-Fafif]

Francisco Rodriguez to Fred Wilpons: "I'm ready for a settlement...with MY FISTS, OLD MAN!"

[metirish]

Newsday , if this means anything

The settlement likely will allow the Mets to keep the $3 million that Rodriguez was due for the remainder of the 2010 season; he was lost for the season in mid-August because of a hand injury suffered when he allegedly punched his girlfriend's father in the face. The contract, however, is expected to stay intact, which would be the primary goal of the Players Association.

[HahnSolo]

If that is the case, who "wins" in this? I would think K-Rod if the contract stays in place. I can't imagine the Mets' only goal in this was to keep the balance of his unpaid 2010 contract.

[Gwreck]

The players' union is typically very strong on these issues. The Mets are winners if they get any level of success with regard to the 2011 contract and 2012 option.

[ashie62]

Well, I guess Krod is the Mets closer next season. That might be a good thing.

[metsmarathon]

bah.

[Guest Edgy DC]

ESPN is reportingthat the Rodriguez is planning to pitch in winter ball in Venezuela.

I wonder if he's allowed to leave the country.

[metirish]

Edgy DC wrote: ESPN is reportingthat the Rodriguez is planning to pitch in winter ball in Venezuela. I wonder if he's allowed to leave the country.

I'd be shocked if he wasn't, he didn't kill the guy after all.

[Frayed Knot]

The legal system probably sees the contract he'd forfeit if he didn't return as a better deterent to skipping out than bail.

[Lefty Specialist]

I hear that K-Rod will give up the vested year if Jeff Wilpon punches his girlfriend's father in the face.

Do it, Jeffy.

[Guest Edgy DC]

HahnSolo wrote: If that is the case, who "wins" in this? I would think K-Rod if the contract stays in place. I can't imagine the Mets' only goal in this was to keep the balance of his unpaid 2010 contract.

If a team is able to get out of one dollar of a player's contract, I'm impressed.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Good point. The players have a very strong union.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Mets just made it official - K Rod forfeits final two months of 2010 salary and they will still guarantee the contract (per Tweet)

[Guest Edgy DC]

Hooray, John Ricco!

[ashie62]

Booyah!

[G-Fafif]

Hope that $3.1 million punch to the girlfriend's father's face was worth it, big boy.

[Benjamin Grimm]

While it's nice that they're saving 2010 money, it would have been even better if they could have saved 2012 money, but that was probably too much to hope for.

[metsmarathon]

bah.

[metirish]

That they got anything out of this is a surprise, maybe the nature of the crime had something to do with the union not fighting all the way for the money.