In the you knew it was coming department the Mets have taken Oliver Perez out of the starting rotation today. As of right now there is no announcement on who will be taking his spot in the rotation. Unfortunately Oliver Perez is currently staying on the active roster as he will be placed in the bullpen.
Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork posted the following on his twitter account:
“Ollie says Takahashi pitching better, although Jerry hasn’t officially named the lefty starter. … Ollie says no interest in going to AAA.”
That last part of the quote says everything you need to know about Oliver Perez. Oliver Perez is struggling, there is no doubt about it. In fact he seems like he’s completely lost. According to Ollie and the Mets he’s 100% healthy.
I think the obvious solution would be for the Mets to offer Oliver Perez a minor league assignment, he would accept the assignment, go down to PSL or Buffalo and work on his pitches. Unfortunately for us and the Mets that is not going to happen.
A few weeks ago in Oakland we saw a bit of an argument between the Yankees 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez and Oakland A’s pitcher Dallas Braden. Braden accused A-Rod of playing for the name on the back of the jersey instead of his team. Technically that was wrong as the Yankees don’t have player names on their jerseys. In all seriousness though the same can be said about the 36 million dollar man Ollie Perez.
Last year the Mets were thinking about sending Oliver down to the minors. Oliver at one point said he would accept the demotion but instead he ran to his agent and his agent called the Mets and vetoed that idea. Ollie then developed a knee injury.
This lack of interest in going to Triple A just shows that Ollie plays for Ollie and not for the Mets. Ollie is guilty of playing for the name on back of the jersey. Would a minor league demotion have worked? Maybe… Maybe not… It did work in the past for Bobby Jones as well as other pitchers in the majors.
The Mets are paying Oliver Perez a lot of money that was not based on past results but on unrealized potential. Obviously the potential has not shown up yet. The Mets have done everything they can to help Ollie but Ollie refuses to return the favor. He’s a selfish player who has shown his true colors. I know he’s owed a lot of money and it’s easy for me to say this since it’s not my money but after this showing the Mets should cut all ties with Oliver Perez and send him on his merry way. He obviously is here to collect a paycheck and nothing else. I’m sure Ollie and his agent would throw a fit if the Mets weren’t interested in paying him anymore.
I don’t feel sorry for Ollie, he could have stepped up, take a minor league assignment and try to work his way back to being the pitcher the Mets are paying for but instead he’s willing to keep under-performing and cashing checks from the Mets. He has turned his back on the Mets and their fans by not trying to improve himself.
I’m done with him, I hope when he does come out in mop up situations he gets lit up and shows that he’s not a major league player. As his numbers get worse and that yellow streak up his back gets darker we will see the true Ollie Perez!
