Submitted by TotalAccess on Sun, 04/19/2009 - 19:19
This all starts with Mike Pelfrey's tendinitis.
The Mets decided to skip his start to rest the arm, which I thought was a smart move, but from there, I'm not sure about how they've gone about dealing with this situation.
As far as starters go, I say that once you decide to skip a start, they should be put on the DL. The list is retroed back to their last start, so it really only costs the man in question a second start and doesn't affect the rest of the roster.
But the Mets decided to leave Pelfrey active and reassign someone else to make room for the callup Nelson Figueroa.
If this was the route they wanted to go, then why not send someone down who has options? After all, if Figgy is only up for the day, the player reassigned would be available again on Wednesday (three days before recall). You re-assign Parnell on Saturday night, he misses Sunday and Tuesday's game while being back for Wednesday, and the only player you've risked is Figgy.
Yet the Mets decided to place Darren O'Day on rule five waivers, and with the Angels pitching staff hurting, I'm sure they'll take him back. Meanwhile, Pelfrey is useless on the bench and Figgy has now been placed on waivers. Let's not forget that O'Day cost Duaner Sanchez his roster spot.
In a matter of 24 hours, one move has essentially cost the team Sanchez, O'Day and Figueroa, who after today could recieve a waiver claim. But wait, that's not all!
The Mets re-assigned Figgy minutes after a solid start (would you accept assignment even if you weren't claimed if they did this to you?) to make room for Casey Fossum.
I understand the Mets want a second lefty for St. Louis, but they couldn't have thought of a more creative way to go about getting it. Now Fossum is on the team for two weeks until Redding returns, and he will have to go through waivers and accept assignment. By the time Redding returns, skipping Pelfrey's start may have lost them Sanchez, O'Day, Figueroa, and Fossum...
Here's what would have made sense to me: DL Pelfrey, bring up Figgy, keep Figgy for a second start, and bring up Fossum in place of Parnell for the St. Louis series. If Fossum looks good as a second LOOGY, then decide whether you're willing to part with O'Day or if the 'pen is good enough without Parnell temporarily.
Then, after Figgy's second start, let him go through waivers to make room for Redding, who, if on schedule, is the next to come off the DL. When Pelfrey is activated, then you decide between O'Day, Fossum, and Parnell.
Inevitably, O'Day may have been sent back to the Angels and both Figgy and Fossum placed on waivers, but by DLing Pelfrey and sending Parnell down for a few days, New York could have staggered these moves in such a manner that would have left them with many more options.
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