M-E-T-S! What's That Spell? MONEY!

Phillies fans are greeting the news that K-Rod has agreed to a 3-year, $37M deal with the Metropolitans with mixed emotions. After the initial "Oh, crap, they got their guy," those with more advanced math skills are noticing the following:

• Rodriguez's velocity has been dropping steadily, and his motion has been red-flagged by scouty and stathead types alike for years as a Black Knight waiting to happen.
• With the injured Billy Wags on board Mets have now sunk roughly $22M into their closer role for next year, and they still don't have any decent setup men. Also, I think we can be sure that Wagner's going to be his usual warm, friendly, giving self in welcoming the guy who's taking his job, leading to a summer of back-page drama a la Gossip Girl in Flushing.
• 1 inning is about all you can ask Rodriguez to pitch. He's a closer, not a stopper, and even with that careful usage he still blew better than 10% of his chances last year.
• The Mets still need a couple of starters minimum, along with a corner outfielder younger than John McCain and someone to provide some actual production at second base. This is the high-profile move, not the needed one.

Of course, with all that said, Phillies fans are still freaking out, largely because they're Phillies fans. But as a Philthy bastard, I'd rather see the Mutts sign K-Rod than Sabathia, Lowe, Burnett, Teixeira, Ibanez, or any of about a dozen other guys.