It’s becoming increasingly apparent that Oliver Perez may have pitched his last game as a New York Met. Perez turned off many of his teammates when he refused to accept a minor league assignment before being shuffled to the DL with an encore performance of the mysterious knee injury. It even prompted an internal investigation by the commissioners office,
Ollie certainly didn’t endear himself to manager Jerry Manuel with his unwillingness to work out his problems in AAA, and opting instead to waste a roster spot in the back of the bullpen as a seldom used mop-up man.
Since beginning the 30 day clock on his minor league rehab, many fans wondered exactly how the Mets would handle his imminent return. Now we may have an answer.
Adam Rubin of ESPN NY has reported that the Mets are now trying to trade Oliver Perez according to an American League source.
In one scenario, the Mets approached the Kansas City Royals about exchanging Perez for right-hander Gil Meche (0-4, 6.66 ERA in nine starts). Meche hasn’t even pitched since May 25 because of shoulder bursitis. Meche’s contract, like Perez’s deal, runs through 2011 and is for an identical $12 million a season.
Perez will make his final rehab appearance on Saturday for Triple-A Buffalo. Even if he fares better than he did in his last starts when he walked five, hit two batters and had two wild pitches in five innings, it looks like Ollie’s days with the Mets are numbered. In fact, I’d even go as far as saying that if they can’t unload Perez in a trade, the odds are 50/50 that he could be released.
