Sandy Alderson and Company have done an incredible job this off-season, especially considering the organization's current budget situation, but I do feel they have miss-understood the totality of the Oliver Perez fiasco.
I agree with my colleague Rob Patterson that Perez will not make it out of spring training, his wildness results in walks and they have better options in camp ( Tankersley/Byrdak). After all; how can you have a guy come in for one hitter who has the potential to walk the hitter more often then strike them out.
There are subtle hints that Perez's tenure is coming to a close, for example; Collins and Alderson had planned for at least one of them to visit Perez this winter to watch him pitch but neither ever made it down to Caliacan. Instead they decided to rely upon bullpen catcher Rafael Arroyo's reports, Arroyo was let go by the organization when Caliacan was eliminated from the playoffs ( source Adam Rubin of ESPN NY). If the Mets had any indications that Perez was worth keeping they would have made the trip to Mexico and keep his personal caddy of a catcher, to work with him in the pen.
It's not that I don't believe the Mets will eventually cut Perez but more that, the new front office just doesn't seem to understand the negative impact he is having each and everyday he remains on the roster. As my other colleague Kieran Flemming expressed when he found out that Perez (and Castillo) made the cut when they need two roster spots, there is a level of frustration associated with Perez that goes beyond simple in-effectiveness.
Perez is the poster child for a team that missed the playoffs two straight years on the last day of the season because of nightmarish collapses and then followed that up with two injury plagued/under preforming disappointments. For a team described as lacking desire and taking things for granted, Perez is the guy refusing assignment, eating Popsicles in the clubhouse after losses that he had no chance of participating in and being described this winter by that personal catcher ( Arroyo) as not always having his heart in it ( source Metsblog).
So when someone says there's no harm in bringing him to camp since we're paying him anyway, I strongly disagree. In fact I think each day that he remains on the roster he's costing the Mets money...
After hiring Alderson, upon hearing that Perez would not be cut before spring training, how many fans said to themselves "Same ole Mets". Despite all the good they've done this off season, every time there's a bad pitching report on him or a chance he could be cut that he's not, the negitive sentiment is reinforced. I know of several former ticket holders who are now taking a wait-n-see approach because they could take a meak off-season or Perez/Castillo remaining on the roster but not both.
Perez has cost them this off-season in ticket sales and merchandising, there are those fans who refuse to invest in this team until they see certain players removed. For other fans they haven't linked their lack of purchases directly to players, but more the negative feel they have towards the team and when asked, Perez generally is a focal point of those negative feelings. Those fans who took a wait-n-see approach, how many of them have now spent that money elsewhere and wont be able to buy ticket packages even if they like the new direction. Furthermore, every mention of Perez only makes it even harder for this front office to climb out from under the negativity that surrounds this organization.
There is a harm in allowing Perez to remain on the roster until cuts begin in spring training and I feel he should be cut immediately. Yes, eating 12M is going to hurt but that money is already gone, how much more is he costing them everyday he stays...
0 comments:
Post a Comment