Mets place closer Rodriguez on disqualified list, will not be paid for remainder of season
The New York Mets placed closer Francisco Rodriguez on the disqualified list, meaning he won’t get paid until he recovers from his thumb injury. The reason for this was because Rodriguez tore the ligament in his thumb in a non-baseball related incident. He injured the thumb in an altercation with his girlfriend’s father and had to undergo season-ending surgery.
"There's strong evidence and there's witnesses and he told our trainer that's when it happened," a team source said.
The MLB players association said that they’d be attempting to get this decision overturned. PA Executive Director Michael Weiner said: "The Mets' actions are without basis. I expect the union will file a grievance promptly." The situation will likely be looked at by an arbitrator in the next few months because of the decision concerning a player’s pay.
If the decision stands and K-Rod remains on the disqualified list, then he will lose over $3 million of his $11.5 million salary this year. Not only that, but the Mets altered Rodriguez’s contract to a non-guaranteed deal, meaning the team can cut him during spring training next year. They’d only be responsible for 30 days worth of pay.
"He has to get himself healthy and part of that has to do with anger management to deal with any issues he has right now," Chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said. Wilpon also said the decision to cut him or not would be about more than on-field related issues.
“We're going to reserve our rights," Wilpon said about voiding the contract. "It's not something we have to determine now. It's not something we have to make a decision on now.”
Doctors have said that K-Rod will be ready to go for spring training if he performs his rehabilitation. If the Mets were to cut Rodriguez early enough in spring training, they’d only have to pay him $1.8 million for next year and could buyout his contract for $3.5 million rather than pay the $17.5 million option that the club has in 2012.
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