Mets Make Wrong Move, Move Oliver to Bullpen, Not to Triple A

Ollie Perez, fresh off a brand spankin' new 36 million dollar contract, has been assigned to the bullpen to wear a triangular dunce hat for the time being.

Considering that JJ Putz and F-r-r-r-rancisco are occupying the 8th and 9th inning spot, there are really only 2 options left for Ollie. One option is that he takes the 7th inning spot where he'd pitch one inning at a time. The other option is that he would be the "long man innings eater," and would only pitch when the guy who replaces him in the starting rotation presumably stinks it up and needs to be taken out after 2 and 1/3 innings. Both options suck more balls than a driving range golf cart on a warm winter day.

Will this move work? In the sense that Oliver will learn his lesson and mitigate his crappiness going forward? Or is he just not good and this move only delays the inevitable admittance by Omar Minaya that he gave 36 mill away? Would moving him down to Triple A be a more effective "time out?" I think so. He would be able to pitch without pressure, work on his mechanics, build his arm strength, and most importantly, improve his confidence.

And then the NY Times Ben Shpigal talks about a very interesting exchange between the Mets PR guy and Ollie.

“Just as he was about to address his murky future, Perez was intercepted by Jay Horowitz, the team’s vice president for media relations, who spoke with him in the trainer’s room for about 10 minutes… When he came out, Perez said that his knee had been bothering him all season. Asked which knee, he paused and looked down. The right one, he said.”

The way that Shpigal writes "paused and looked down" clearly indicates that this "injury" is a load a shit. Have teams fabricated fake injuries before? Of course. But this just confirms that fact that Oliver sucks not because of some phantom physical issue but due to the fact he came into camp out of shape and unperpared to be a part of a contending decent team

Metsblog: Perez has ‘Knee’ Injury, in Bullpen