Huh? What? Really? According to David Lennon of New York Newsday (click here for the post) the Mets have pulled Oliver Perez from the rotation. There really shouldn’t be a surprise there, despite the amount of money he’s being paid. He’s currently sporting a rotund 9.97 ERA and 2.26 WHIP over his first five starts, numbers that are simply unacceptable.
What doesn’t make sense to me is his move to the bullpen, instead of either stashing him on the DL (a la the New York Yankees with Chien-Ming Wang) or demoting him to the minor leagues (like the Mets themselves did in the past with Steve Trachsel).
The guy simply needs to be facing batters and working out his problems (assuming he is healthy), not sitting out in the bullpen and throwing side sessions to try and rectify things, as well as eating up a roster spot.
Will the Mets really use him coming out of the ‘pen in anything but a blowout? He’s walked 21 batters over 21.2 innings this season, so needless to say the idea of him throwing the ball over the plate is a fairly unsettling one. A BB/9 of 8.72! That’s beyond Daniel Cabrera bad, so that should tell you something.
Is this a Barry Zito-esque demotion, where he’ll be in the bullpen for a week and nothing more? That’s not enough. The Mets are a team looking to contend for not only the division, but a world title. Their character is already suspect. People want to see a fire in them, especially considering the conclusion of their past three seasons. They complain that no matter how things are going, there is always a smile on their faces, almost like they don’t care.
This was a chance for management to really shake the team at it’s core. They could send a message to the entire 25-man line-up that it is either perform or there will be repercussions. Instead, they continue to handle this roster with kid's gloves on.
From a fantasy perspective, did anyone consider Perez as having fantasy value at this point? I surely hope not. In deeper leagues he’s worth stashing on your bench, as there’s always the chance that he figures things out and finds a way to become the strikeout force that everyone hoped he would be this season. He does sport a career K/9 of 9.23 and even this season has a 8.31 mark. That has tremendous value, of course only if he can get the other numbers under control.
In shallower formats, there certainly are several other options who hold value for you that it is worthwhile to set him free. Do you see anyone else rushing to pick him up? Feel free to cut him loose, as you should be able to easily reacquire him if that somehow becomes a viable option.
Ken Takahashi will start in his place on on Friday, but that is a story for another day. This move is all about Oliver Perez. What does everyone think? Are the Mets making the right decision in moving him to the bullpen or should a more definitive action have been taken?
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