Mets, K-Rod put grievance hearing on hold
Mets player Francisco Rodriguez exits Queens Criminal Court after appearing on a criminal complaint charging him with violating an order of protection by sending his girlfriend dozens of text messages. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
PHILADELPHIA - The grievance hearing between the Mets and Francisco Rodriguez scheduled for Monday has been adjourned and the two sides are "in negotiations" toward a settlement, according to a team spokesman.
The Players Association filed the grievance after the Mets moved to withhold roughly $3 million in salary from Rodriguez and also make the final season of his three-year, $37-million contract non-guaranteed. K-Rod is scheduled to earn $11.5 million in 2011, and the deal includes a $17.5-million option for 2012 that vests if the closer finishes 55 games next year.
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.
Rodriguez's future with the Mets remains uncertain, even with a settlement, because of his pending criminal charges and any bad feelings that might exist between the two sides. Rodriguez is scheduled to return to Queens Criminal Court on Nov. 10 to face assault and harassment charges, but his attorney, Christopher Booth, is confident that a plea bargain can be reached. If convicted on all charges, Rodriguez could face up to two years in prison.
"All parties believe they can work out their differences," Booth said earlier this month.
Rodriguez, 28, allegedly struck his children's grandfather - the father of his then-fiancée - after an Aug. 11 game at Citi Field. He was arrested immediately after the incident but returned to pitch one game before requiring season-ending surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb.
The Mets already had suspended Rodriguez for two games, costing him roughly $125,000. But the injury to his pitching hand, which resulted from the alleged altercation, prompted the Mets to seek additional punitive action. The team placed him on the disqualified list, which withheld the remainder of his 2010 salary, and converted his contract to non-guaranteed, which would allow the Mets to cut him during spring training after only 30 days' pay.
Rodriguez further complicated his situation by allegedly sending a series of text messages in violation of a restraining order that prevented him from having contact with his girlfriend, Daian Peña. That added seven charges of criminal contempt to K-Rod's legal problems, which are yet to be resolved.
Initially, the Mets made it sound as if they wanted Rodriguez back, but the organization has gone through major changes since then. Jerry Manuel will not be brought back as manager and former GM Omar Minaya has been relieved of his duties. With the Mets still weeks away from hiring the next GM, and a new manager to be hired after that, it is unclear where K-Rod will fit in the plans of the reshaped front office.
