But, the point is not to continue piling on Omar Minaya. That is just too easy. The point is to analyze the option, and the pace K-Rod is on. Right now, with 25 games finished, K-Rod is on pace for 63 games finished, 8 over the 55 games finished threshold that would trigger maybe the worst one-year option...ever? I don't know, did Eric Byrnes have an option? Was Moises Alou's contract an option year?
There is only one question to be asked: HOW IS HE ANYWHERE CLOSE TO THAT FIGURE???
This option being triggered would be a colossal mistake, would set us back years, could prevent us from signing Reyes, or force a trade of Wright. He only has 18 saves, and 1 blown save. That means that 6 times Terry Collins brought him in with no save opportunity. Tie game, blowouts, getting some work in, Collins has had no hesitation about using K-Rod in every possible situation.
I am not blaming Terry Collins. He is the team's day-to-day manager. Unless he gets told otherwise by his employers, his job is to win as many games as possible. And he has done a bang up job recently, keeping a pretty bad Mets team close to .500. Kudos to him.
No, this is squarely on the shoulders of the Wilpons and Sandy Alderson. Any class organization would go to the manager and tell him in no uncertain terms that the option can NOT vest, and if he has a problem with that, they will find someone who will make sure it doesn't happen. If Collins had only brought K-Rod in in save situations, he would be on pace for 48 games finished, and K-Rod's (genius) agent would have no grievances.
This just further demonstrates the deficiency of the Mets organization as a whole, and it will be a shame if K-Rod is in a Met uniform next year instead of Jose Reyes or David Wright.
