All In The Family (And Out Of It).

The past few days have not been very kind to Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez. First, he's arrested and suspended for two games for physically assaulting his father in law, and almost immediately after his return, he injures his thumb and has season-ending surgery. Now, the Mets have placed him on the disqualified list and do not intend on paying him until he is able to play again, and there have been talks about trying to cancel his contract. Believe it or not, I actually don't condone the Mets' original actions.

Now, don't get me wrong: I'm far from vindicating K-Rod's violent actions. He did something incredibly dangerous and out of line. However, whatever legal matters he faces should be all. His actions didn't take place on the field; therefore, he shouldn't face any baseball consequences for what happened. If you hit someone in your family, you'll certainly get in trouble with the law, but it's not likely you'll be suspended from your job. So the two-game suspension really did little to reprimand him, and it seemed unnecessary until more details came to light. His outrage caused him to break his thumb, virtually ending his season and possibly his tenure in New York, as the Mets are doing all they can to void out the remainder of his contract (he's poised to make around $11 million for the full season this year and next season). Should this further blow up in his face, he'd most likely find it hard to get signed anywhere else in the league. I mean, if you were a manager, would you sign a relief pitcher who beats his family members, which leads him to an injury that takes him off your roster during one of the most important months of the season? The reliability is very low. Hand injuries are bad for any player and could spell the end of the year for a poor soul, but when it's in regards to a pitcher who's called on to save the win for the starter and their team, it becomes catastrophic. So, I wouldn't expect Rodriguez to find much solace if he doesn't do anything about his string of bad luck.