The Francisco Rodriguez situation is bad for the Mets on many levels. First, it’s obvious he has personal issues that need to be addressed. Anyone who can come to blows with a member of their family – enough so to send them to the hospital- needs to address that first and foremost. From a team perspective, the brand continues to be damaged by players making embarrassing news off the field. Not to mention the fact the future of one of their core stars is murky. Any good organization will use a bad situation to teach a lesson and move forward. Perhaps the Mets can use the Francisco Rodriguez incident as a way to set the tone for a new era of accountability.

It’s one thing to allow Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez to suck up roster space. They are underperforming on the field, but have not done anything to embarrass the organization off it. The fact they are overpaid isn’t a crime, however their presence on the roster does send a message that high salary gives leeway in achieving a level of performance. Welcoming back Rodriguez into the clubhouse sends a message the organization doesn’t care about player’s behavior at work. Remember, this wasn’t an incident in the comfort of his home. It happened at work in front of teammates and Mets employees. If you decked someone at your job what would your status be going forward?

In 1993, the Mets let Vince Coleman go after throwing a firecracker at a child. They need to figure out how to do something similar to Francisco Rodriguez. K-Rod, unlike Coleman, still performs at a high level. Losing their closer won’t help them in the near or short term. What keeping him away will do is send a message to the team that playing baseball is serious business. They need to establish a level of professionalism that is lacking in this organization, especially under Omar Minaya. I would keep him on the restricted list for as long as possible. I would also look into voiding his contract based on the morality clause.

In all probability the Mets will have to welcome back K-Rod into the fold. In speaking to an agent, the voiding of a contract is a tough situation to sell. He is owed potentially $29 million dollars the next two years, making it also difficult to trade him. There is no heir apparent in the organization either, which is why they had to sign him in the first place.

The Mets have a problem with their culture. Allowing K-Rod back into the picture won’t damage it any worse, but addressing this in the harshest manner might go a long way in beginning to repair it.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: Francisco Rodriguez, K-Rod, New York Mets