7
2011
Keeping K-Rod’s Option From Vesting
An article by 
Brian Costa, who now writes for the Wall Street Journal, posted an outstanding article in which he suggests a creative solution to preventing Francisco Rodriguez’s 2012 vesting option worth $17.5 million dollars from being triggered. As it stands now, the option is triggered if K-Rod “finishes” 55 games this season.
Actually, the solution came in part from K-Rod himself who said this when talking about how he wants to be used out of the bullpen:
“Not even just in the seventh and the eighth inning,” Rodriguez said. “Sometimes in the fifth and the sixth, when it’s like do-or-die and we have to stop the bleeding. The adrenaline is there. I want to be in there.”
Heck yeah, that’s exactly the kind of talk I want to hear from K-Rod. Good for him. He gets it.
Anyhow, it got me to thinking… Lets run with this a little…
It’s the the seventh inning and the Mets are leading the Phillies by one run in a 5-4 nail-biter. Chase Utley is at the plate and Ryan Howard is in the on-deck circle. Instead of calling on Pat Misch or Tim Byrdak, wouldn’t you want your best available arm in the bullpen on the mound to extinguish the fire?
Why is it that we use our best bullpen arm to get most of their saves by coming into the ninth inning with nobody on base and basically a low-pressure situation every time?
Why save your best available bullpen arm for a potential critical situation in the ninth inning that may never come?
The most critical part of the game doesn’t not always come in the ninth inning. Nobody knows when that moment will rear it’s ugly head.
Ironically, before Tony LaRussa and Dennis Eckersley transformed the closers role to what we have today, closers were referred to as firemen because they were only used to put out fires.
In fact Rolaids, who still award the best closer in each league with the Rolaids Relief Man Award, designed the award in the shape of a fireman’s hat, AND the word closer still does not appear on the award.
Those were the good old days when the best relievers were feared by opposing offenses and they only came into a game when it was on the line and you needed a big out or three big outs or seven big outs. Back then, they were like gunslingers.
The closers role has become too specialized and in many ways, too watered down. Saves mean nothing to me, they are a worthless statistic that doesn’t indicate how great a reliever truly is.
You don’t have to be a great reliever to rack up 30 saves these days. Just throw any ole schmo in the ninth inning of a winning game forty times and he’s a cinch for 30 saves.
I did a little research… Here’s an example of a real closer – a real fireman – a real gunslinger.
In 1977, Yankees closer Sparky Lyle won the CY Young Award with just 26 saves, but the saves were not the story.
Check out how Billy Martin used him that season and how often Lyle was brought into the game early.
- 4th inning – 1 time
- 5th inning – 5 times
- 6th inning – 9 times
- 7th inning – 17 times
- 8th inning – 21 times
In 72 appearances that season, Lyle entered the game with runners on base an astounding 59 times!
Now that’s a damn closer for you. He also finished sixth in the MVP voting that season.
In 2010, 18 pitchers had the same 26 or more saves than Lyle did, but none of them worked harder for those saves than Sparky. Remarkable.
Lyle wasn’t the only one, I just picked him as an example. The league was full of warriors like him back then - you had Bruce Sutter, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Ron Perranoski, Mike Marshall - they were all freaking amazing.
Back then a manager would be torn to shreds by the fans and the press if he dared to take his starter out of 3-1 game in the ninth just so the closer could collect a save, it was absolutely unheard of.
So back to the point of all this.
No relief pitcher is worth $17.5 million dollars, I don’t care who they are. I would hate to see K-Rod trigger that vesting option.
If you try to squeeze some saves out of Parnell or Buchholz in the ninth inning next season, you might get away with it once or twice each, but anything more than that and the Players Association will scream bloody hell.
But who would argue with Terry Collins if he chose to bring K-Rod into the seventh inning with the tying and winning runs on base?
Absolutely nobody, that’s who!
By the way, if K-Rod goes out and has a great season for us, I would have no problem re-signing him for less money. I always liked him, and I hope he learned his lesson about that unfortunate incident. He seems very remorseful and continues to attend anger management classes. Everybody deserves a second chance.
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 42 | 28 | .600 | - |
| Nationals | 34 | 35 | .493 | 7.5 |
| Phillies | 34 | 37 | .479 | 8.5 |
| Mets | 25 | 40 | .385 | 14.5 |
| Marlins | 22 | 47 | .319 | 19.5 |
Last updated: 06/18/2013
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Who would complain if you use both Izzy and KRod as closers? Is it possible that might have been in the back of somebody’s mind when Izzy was signed?
What makes you think Izzy and his 84mph fastball is being added to the roster? We already know Castillo and Ollie will be cut to make room for Willie Harris and Krod. Who are you cutting to make room for Izzy?
Scott Hairston? I see Evans beating him for that last bench spot and besides, Collins speaks very highly of him.
Collins has some lovefest for Evans – perhaps it is because he has no options left and he wants him to get every possible chance because they don’t want to lose a player?
In that case, Murphy would have to win the 2B job and Emaus would be on the bench…not sure how the hell that would work out.
If murphy wins the starting 2B job, to play every day (not a defined platoon),then emaus really has no role on the roster. Hu will be the defensive replacement/MI, with Harris (likely making the team) as the emergency 2B.
Emaus would be a RH PH off the bench, a role that Evans can fill and has experience at. Both can spell Wright at 3B, but Evans also plays 1B and corner OF, so he gives a lot more flexibility.
“Collins has some lovefest for Evans – perhaps it is because he has no options left and he wants him to get every possible chance because they don’t want to lose a player?”
Or maybe he knows that Evans has much more to offer from what he’s seen in the minors than what we’ve seen of him in small samples of the last 3 seasons? It’s not that hard to have a “lovefest” of a guy who had a .300 BA with a .371 OBP and 23 HRs last season over a guy who’s never had a season above a .313 OBP (Jeff Francoeur territory) in his career.
I wasn’t denoting the lovefest as a bad thing, lol.
I think Evans had some good numbers in the minors and it’d be smart to try his best not to give him up for nothing. The problem with that is the most he could possibly get is a minor role. He showed decent gap power the year of his call-up.
Scott Hairston signed a major league contract as a free agent. He cant be cut until June.
I think you are confusing it with the rule about not being able to trade a FA for a period?
they can cut anyone on the team tomorrow if they want. they just have to pay him!
You are right, my mistake.
Oh that’s right. He can be assigned to AAA Buffalo, right?
hairston? No, it is a ML contract and he can’t be optioned.
K-Rod and the union would be first in line to complain!
As a young fan, I never got to see the era of the closer.
I’ve had to resort to reading stories and doing my research.
What I wouldn’t give to have seen Seaver in person… or Darling, Gooden, Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Sutter even…
In any case. I don’t think the “Fireman” will EVER return to MLB. Mark my words and I hate to say it too, because I’d love to see a real three-inning save or a closer who isn’t just limited to the ninth.
Now in regards to K-rod…Yeah, he’s not worth 17.5 million. (for the record, isn’t the actual deal worth 14 million? and there’s a 3.5 buyout or something?)
But I want him on the team next year. I like him as a closer, just not as a super highly paid closer. He’s a good player and I like that he’ll be closing this year. I’m making that clear — as long as he’s wearing those goggles. He’s only cool with the goggles. LOL.
It’s $17.5 million if it vests. If it doesn’t vest the Mets pay $3.5 million.
What kind of an idiot puts a buyout on a vesting option?
Buyouts are the cost for teams who would like to retain the option of having a players services for a year or two after a contract ends at a prearranged price. In the case of a vesting option the choice is not up to the Wilpon. The option automatically takes effect base on Frankie’s play. A buyout should only be included if the team is declining an option. That cannot be done here. Why was it included?
Who ever negotiated this contract is a moron
The way this team threw money around left and right is crazy. 3.5 million dollar buyout when you cannot decline the option is just symptomatic of this teams mismanagement all the way back to the early days of the Wilpon ownership.
No money to sign players we drafted like Rafeal Palmero, Matt Williams, John Wettland, John Olerud, Mark Grudzielanek, Darin Erstdt, Aaron Rowand, Garrett Atkins, Jeremy Guthrie or David Dejesus but the sky’s the limit with other teams players. No cheaping out on them.
3.5 M buyout,for K-Rod, 1.75 M for Igaroshi, 1M GMJ, 1M Escobar, 2M + vesting option for Cora, 80 million for Bay and we still have no second basemen or right fielder and we might lose the best (and only) SS we have ever signed and developed because of it. What morons. Well we’re bound to find another SS in 50 years or so. who knows maybe we’ll get a second basemen, LFer and RFer too someday.
go see Halladay. He pitches rings around most of those dudes.
Not around Seaver!
Krod’s honesty of publicly saying he wants to pitch in earlier innings takes the Mets off the hook if they don’t give him enough opportunity to finish 55 games. Either his agent is peeved at Frankie for going public, (no less after the agent said he’ll be closely monitoring the Mets ) or Frankie really doesn’t care whether the option vests. In an earlier interview, he said he didn’t care, that he has better appreciation of what he already has. If he’s being truthful and truly growing through undergoing therapy, this is really great.
Sometimes really good things happen through really bad circumstance, and perhaps this is one such case. If so, plenty reason for optimism.
Id like to see Evans stay on the team this year. It would be great if he can show that he can hit the ball at this level. Would be a nice cheap right fielder with some pop if beltran gets hurt again. Maybe even be the starting right fielder next year!
I hope that no coaching is done via figuring out KROD’s contract and vesting interest. Just play the game to maximize the chances of the Mets winning.
If you give someone a contract, you ought to honor that contract. We should all hope that he gets to close 55 games.
Only clients of Madoff would be so jaded as to not believe that was true and try to squirrel their way out of it.
Don’t worry about the money, the new owners will work that into their purchase price, the old owners ( the Wilpons ) will be gone by then and a Sterling Equities bankruptcy judge can figure it all out.
I personally feel K-Rod will be traded before that vesting happens.
If they trade him that option won’t be the Mets problem it will be someone else’s
Good post Joe.
I thought this post was about K Rod?
Joe I remember that firemen from days gone by, Sparky, Goose, etc.
The era of specialization, saves, and the most moronic stat “quality starts” all these invented by agents to add more stats to the contract negotiation has just diminished the role of the closer.
The best pitcher for the situation is what should be done. Maybe Collins can be a ground breaker on this and at the same time save games when they really count and not just to build stats for players.
K Rod’s contract, as stated here, was negotiated by a financially inept Met FO person who probably thought Madoff was the bomb.
My two cents, Evans has shown me a lot at the bat and he can play more than one position.
Other than the fact that we might need a CF other than Pagan cause of Beltran issue that is what I would do.