During the offseason, Sandy Alderson said that if Luis Castillo, and Oliver Perez didn’t earn a spot on the roster, that both of them would be cut. Unfortunately Mets fans, Sandy Alderson is apparently changing his stance on him.
As Terry Collins talked to reporters on Friday, Collins revealed that both him and Sandy Alderson promised Oliver Perez that he will get a chance to win a spot in the rotation or be in the bullpen if he does not win a job as as a starting pitcher.
Rich Couthino of MetsBlog reported,
Meanwhile, Oliver Perez has been promised a shot at being in the rotation by Collins and Sandy Alderson, and, if he doesn’t make it, Perez agreed he will go to the bullpen.
Your joking right?!
I feel that Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins are making a big mistake. Really, this is absolutely disappointing. I don’t ever remember a team promising a player a guaranteed spot on the roster when he finds himself in the tenuous situation that Oliver Perez is in.
I believe that If Ollie wants to stay on this team, he needs to first prove that he can still compete, and out-pitch the rest of the competition. Don’t just give him the spot. Whats that going to prove?
The way I see this is, that the Mets must have some renewed confidence in Oliver Perez. They must feel that he can return to the pitcher that he once was. I can understand that, but why give him the satisfaction that his job is secured?
We’ll have to see if the Oliver Perez of old (the dominant one) returns, or if he will once again be the really bad Oliver Perez of the last two seasons. That is the big question.
If keeping Oliver Perez backfires on the Mets, then it looks like Terry Collins and Sandy Alderson could be in for a quick end to the honeymoon period and a rude awakening for both of them.
