Oliver Perez is one tough fighter; like a boxer who won’t go down. Batters are pummeling him with jabs, crosses and uppercuts. And more of the same by the media, the fans, and now his teammates. How can one man take such abuse, and not go down for the count.
He claims that he wants to and can succeed in righting himself while on the major league roster working out of the bullpen. Everyone including Ollie knows this is not the case.
The answer is very simple. Ollie wants out. He wants out of New York and the Mets. It is a test of wills between player and owner. He is forcing the Mets hand and they will likely comply sooner rather than later. Ollie will win this battle. But I think Perez and agent Scott Boras are miscalculating the market for him once he is released.
I don’t know where when and how Ollie will resurface. During the period of time when he is under contract to the Mets, any team who claims him will have to pay the Mets $400,000. I don’t think there would be one team to put a claim in on him. If Perez is waived, and has no suitors, he would not pitch in the major leagues this year. He could eventually sign a minor league deal and look like a total hypocrite. Possibly he will go back to his native Mexico and try to hook on with a team there.
Maybe, Ollie just wants to pack it in and go home.
Once Ollie is gone, he wouldn’t be back in a visitors uniform, not even giving Mets fans the opportunity to boo him.
