Sympathy For K-Rod...

So now I don't know if I'm a horrible person for this but I feel bad for Frankie Rodriguez. I truly today just look at this lost soul and think what the hell happened? Why K-Rod why? I know what he did to Mr. Pena was wrong. I don't condone domestic violence, I am not a fan of beating up old men but it hurts me to read about Francisco in the papers. Let me explain. Maybe I can make sense of this. Today the "NY POST" and the "Daily News" published a few of the 56 text messages that prosecutors say K-Rod sent to his estranged girlfriend, Daian Pena. Rodriguez was not supposed to have any contact with her. Sending these texts completely violated a court order. So now not only was he in court yesterday on assault charges, but he now also faces additional criminal counts for these texts to Daian.

In fact in court yesterday Judge Robert Raciti was beyond generous. He really was kind to K-Rod. Raciti decided to not go right ahead and jail Frankie for violating his restraining order-y thing. He instead warned him that his next TEXT would land him in jail. But Frankie is in no way off the hook. He will have to deal with the consequences of this violation when he returns to court October 7th.

Here are some of the texts that well have made me feel freaking sympathy for Mr. Goggles. The basic theme in all of them is that
1- He misses his kids
2- He misses Daian and wants her to forgive him
3- He knows he effed up

"I know this message could get me in trouble again, but I already lost you my house and my children."

"I do not want to have problems with your family, all I want...is to recover you and my children and continue forward."

"Lets find a solution to this conflict, baby if you really loved me do not deny me the opportunity to fight for you and my children."

"Daian, I understand that perhaps I made a mistake, the biggest mistake of my life for doing what I did but I love you."

So now I just wonder if I'm the one Metsies fan who feels sorry for a man who maybe doesn't deserve her sympathy?

Bobby Parnell Has Suddenly Become Very Important

Bobby Parnell was very impressive last night. As Gary Cohen noted during the broadcast, Parnell threw over a dozen pitches at 100 mph or faster, as well as a couple at 102. I didn't see it, but the NY Times claims that he threw a pitch at 103 as well.

Putting aside the issue of whether the gun was fast (it was), Parnell was throwing some serious heat last night. The fastball was darting and tailing, and the slider was a wipeout pitch. If Parnell can continue to pitch like that, he is going to be very very good. Very.

K-Rod Injured ... Mets Get Lucky?

Ok team, let's put a positive spin on this one.

K-Rod getting injured while beating up an old man is obviously a fiasco and embarrassing and ridiculous. The whole situation stinks. But in doing so, K-Rod may have hurt his chances of getting his 2012 contract option to vest. Here are the details, as per Cot's Contracts:

2012:$17.5M option ($3.5M buyout)

2012 option becomes guaranteed with:
55 games finished in 2011, and
100 games finished in 2010-11, and
doctors declare Rodriguez healthy after 2011

K-Rod has finished 46 games this year. Setting aside, for a moment, whether or not the Mets will be able to void the contract based on his inappropriate conduct in the clubhouse and resulting injury -- the Mets may be able to wiggle out of the option nonetheless.

In the last five seasons before this one, K-Rod has finished 56 games or more every single time: 58, 58, 56, 69, 66. He needs to finish 56 games next year to have his option vest. It'll be interesting to watch.

Nationals Signed Capps

In a transaction that completely flew under my radar during the holiday season:

The Washington Nationals signed right-handed pitcher Matt Capps on Wednesday to a one-year deal worth $3.5 million. TSN

That's it?! ONE year and $3.5 million? Speculation was that Capps was capable of receiving a multi-year deal. From Metsblog.com:

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com feels Capps will choose to close for the Nationals, who will give him a multi-year deal, despite the Cubs offering more money per season.

I was against giving Capps a multi-year deal as well. But for him to have signed with the Nationals for only $3.5 million dollars and one year is a big-time mistake for the Mets. In early December, we wrote here about Capps:

He is a perfect candidate for the Mets, a team with bullpen problems and a big wallet. He was coming off injury last year, and there are a lot of reasons to believe that he was just unlucky. His fastball last year was the best it has ever been... he got swings on 29.7% of his pitches out of the zone last year... [and] he may have been a little unlucky with home runs - 13.5% of fly balls against him went for home runs, an unusually high rate.

The Mets should scoop this guy up quick, even if he is a due a slight raise. He'll want a one year deal to reestablish his value, and he'll provide insurance for K-Rod.

Well, he got his one year deal. And according to Cot's Contracts, he is only able to earn an additional $0.425 million in incentives at most.

For those who want to criticize Minaya for "fighting the last war" or not being proactive, this is a great example. Although we have a "proven closer" in Francisco Rodriguez, as we have pointed out here before, K-Rod's peripherals have been declining steadily in recent years.

I think this link tells you EVERYTHING you need to know about K-Rod... Simply put, there is no reason to believe that he is more likely to be 2006 K-Rod next year than a repeat of 2009 K-Rod. And 2009 K-Rod walked 5 batters per nine innings, had an ERA of 3.71, and had a WHIP of 1.31.

There is no insurance beyond K-Rod, a vulnerability which may become extremely obvious should he continue his decline. That Capps was available on a contract which was short in length and reasonable in dollar amount, and that the Mets were not more heavily involved, is not a good sign.


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postscript: And please don't tell me that I should be excited about Kelvim Escobar or Ryota Igarashi. Both I felt were good risks for the Mets to take, but both are clearly a notch below Capps.

Escobar in particular has a chance to be good, but for his career has a 4.44 ERA as a reliever with a 1.42 WHIP. Granted, those appearances are interspersed through his career, and his numbers are better as a starter -- but still, that's not the dominant profile that I think people associate with his name. He'll also be coming back from injury -- all of these, reasons why he signed for so little. He is not adequate insurance for K-Rod either.