Despite a strong showing from New York Mets lefty Oliver Perez on Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals in Port St. Lucie, Perez may be on the fast track to the bullpen come Opening Day.
According to Andy Martino of NY Daily News, while Perez is still officially in the competition for the fifth starter role, his low velocity and streaky consistency made him a viable candidate to get cut early this spring as Mets executives watched from the stands this Thursday.
While manager Terry Collins continues to stand by his word saying, “I wouldn’t say his job (was on the line), but we certainly were going to revisit the (situation),” sources telling the Daily News seem to be headed in a different direction in regards to Perez’s roster spot.
The team was very close to absorbing the $12 million left on Perez’s contract before his start on Thursday, but his two scoreless innings of two-hit ball with no strikeouts and an even more surprising no walks, has seemingly saved his Mets career for another day.
Perez could be slated for one last start this spring to save his career, but let's get this straight. This isn’t going to be a sudden revival of a once promising career that Perez showed flashes of back in the 2006 NLCS.
He’s as good as done, and if he remains on the roster come Opening Day, he will be used as a strictly left-handed reliever/long reliever, but even that’s being optimistic.
No matter the coaching and the amount of times he says, “First-pitch strike – that’s the goal,”(NY Daily News) Perez will never live up to the $36 million contract he signed, and because of that, Oliver Perez is as good as done for the Mets – and fans couldn’t be happier.
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