Some eerie details have surfaced about Tom Glavine's recent contract restructuring. Ken Rosenthal has the scoop:
Never mind that $12 million club option for 2007 that the Mets included in left-hander Tom Glavine's restructured contract: There is little chance the team will exercise it.If true, this is pretty ludicrous. Sportswriters tend to pull things out of their asses a lof of the time, but what exactly was the point of the restructuring -- from the Mets' perspective -- if they were going to include a handshake agreement to allow Glavine to walk right back into the Braves' rotation? Somebody please explain this to me.The Mets have agreed informally to decline the option if Glavine wants to return to the Braves next season, according to a source with knowledge of his contract.
The restructured deal also includes a "poison pill," FOXSports.com has learned -- a $3 million bonus if Glavine makes the All-Star team in '06 and '07 and a $2 million bonus if he makes it only in '07.
The Mets will apparently allow Tom Glavine to return to Atlanta next season.
By defeating the Cardinals on Tuesday night, Glavine, 40, improved to 6-2 with a 2.43 ERA -- All-Star caliber numbers. Both the Mets and Braves figure to want him next season; he is now just 19 victories short of 300.
Thanks to the All-Star bonuses, Glavine's club option with the Mets could be worth $14 million or $15 million -- both prohibitive numbers. If the Mets want to keep Glavine, they almost certainly would negotiate a new deal at a lower salary.
Glavine restructured his contract with the Mets to reduce his '06 salary from $10.5 million to $7.5 million. In return, he received the $12 million club option and a $5.5 million player option for '07, both with a $3 million buyout.
The new deal protects Glavine if he suffers a serious injury later this season; his player option amounts to disability insurance. The value of that option will increase by $1 million each if he pitches 180, 190 and 200 innings, maxing out at $8.5 million.