Manuel confirmed today that Niese would face the Marlins Saturday. He said that the Mets would demote a pitcher to clear room for Niese on the 25-man roster, and did not know who it would be if not Perez.
“It becomes a broad discussion for the most part (if Perez does not agree to a demotion). We have to sit down and see what fits.”
Reliever Elmer Dessens could return to Buffalo, though Manuel has said that he is interested in using Dessens in a late-inning setup role. Jenrry Mejia, who because of command problems is no longer under consideration for a setup job, could also be sent down.
– Andy Martino, N.Y. Daily News.
What a weird, weird time to be a Mets fan. After an offseason spent clamoring for the team to make measured decisions focused on longterm success — we’re probably the first fanbase to ever widely campaign against the early promotion of a prized prospect — we are left vaguely hoping a bad pitcher continues to stubbornly hurt his team by refusing an assignment to Triple-A. We cling to the small sliver of possibility that Perez’s behavior forces the team to send Mejia to the Minors where he can start games and work on his secondary arsenal like he should be.
I mean, that’s what I’m clinging to. I don’t think it’ll happen, and it’s a damn shame that a decision that seems so simple should have to come at the cost of a valuable roster spot. But the greater good, in this situation and this season, would be served by Mejia stretching out in the Minor Leagues, working his way toward the 2011 rotation.
Jerry Manuel’s affection for the youngster seems to skew his sense of reality, though, so it’s hard to imagine Mejia will be the pitcher sent packing even if Perez refuses. Manny Acosta pitched better than Mejia in his small-sample stint with the team, as Elmer Dessens has in spotty work. But neither of those veterans has that miracle pitch. They might both feature more than one pitch they can command, but nothing in either pitcher’s arsenal appears apt to make a manager salivate like Mejia’s cutting fastball.
But since Mejia has allowed a ton of baserunners in his 23 innings — something Manuel himself has noted — there’s no reason to believe he can maintain his 3.13 ERA.
He’ll probably get the opportunity to do so, though, even with the Mets floundering at .500 and with obvious needs in the starting rotation. Because hey, why concern yourself with the team’s future when all signs say you’re not a part of it?
The most amazing part of this, of course, is that reports surface constantly that Mejia’s role is the subject of frequent or even daily debate among team brass. They’re thinking about it a lot. And even after all this time thinking about it, they still haven’t been able to reach the same obvious conclusion the bulk of the media and blogosphere came to months ago. That’s damning, and damn near terrifying.
Tedquarters 
Jerry Manuel has an amazing ability to be both extremely short-sighted and yet, in some instances he manages for situations that may never come to pass.
General examples of his short-sightedness include Mejia, overuse of the bullpen, sac bunting with the 3 hitter, managing every game as if it is game 7 of the World Series. He seems to have no concept of the fact that the season is 162 games long.
And yet, in game, he manages for late inning situations that may never happen. He doesn’t use Tatis with the bases loaded, down 2 in the 3rd inning in Milwaukee because he wanted to save him for a potential “big spot” later in the game, which never came. In Cincy, he double-switches Wright out of the game to keep Tatis because Tatis is the emergency catcher, which is most likely not going to be needed. He splits Wright and Bay in the lineup so that the opposing manager will have to use an extra reliever in the event that the game is close late, which there is no guarantee it will be.
There has to be a name for this condition. He is just a maddening manager. Mejia is just one prominent example.
last year he left a struggling reliever in to face a pinch hitter because he was afraid if he brought in Feliciano they’d bring in a righty to face him. (I think it was Braves/Mccann, but I could be wrong)
Actually, I’m hoping Perez gets straightened out to his ’07-’08 form. That would be the most ideal, and the one people seem not to want to consider. I also hope he starts ignoring everything Warthen says, because I suspect it’s poison.
Also, how awful would it be if they sent Mejia down but used him as a reliever at AAA?
I considered that this morning and shivered. That might be enough to make me a full-fledged Rockies/Rays fan until there’s a new administration.
Holy crap, I never even considered that. Way to make my Mets nightmares even worse (I have at least one every week).
Oliver Perez infuriates me more than any other Mets player in history. This includes Vince Coleman throwing a firecracker into the crowd. Perez is knowingly hurting his whole team and that is mind blowing to me. Even if there is a silver lining with Mejia being stretched as a starter, I still can’t consider it a positive thing.
It’s totally irrational, but I hope one of these two things happen:
1. Manual starts Oliver Perez. Leave him in for 7 innings minimum… regardless of how many pitches or runs he gives up. If pride is his motivating factor, this should definitely get him out of the big leagues. It’s most definitely idiotic to intentionally lose any game and to put all your position players through this just to send a message (or for a vendetta). I’d still do it.
2. The Wilpons hire Harrison Ford to take care of the situation. I have a battle scene in my head of Perez attempting to use a bat to fight him off. My mental image plays out exactly like this:
Get it done.
Bonus points for one of my favorite movie scenes ever.
Definitely mine too. Fun fact… it was supposed to be an actual sword fight, but Harrison Ford hurt his back.
I can get behind either of those ideas.
Rockies fan?!?!? Rays are one thing but the Crazy Christians?!?! wouldnt support the Rockies if it was a Rockies-Yankees WS
Any reservations I might have about their ownership are trumped by my appreciation for their ability to develop players. Also, Ubaldo Jimenez might be my favorite pitcher in the Majors.
(Full disclosure: I’m a Mets who moved to CO)
Johnny, say what you must, but when’s the last time a Rockies player did something remotely objectionable? The whole organization is a class act, and I wish our front office had 1/16th the maturity the Rockies’ exhibits. There were more scandals in the 2009 Mets season than during the entire (albeit brief) history of the Rockies organization. If you factor in actual on-field performance over the past few years (and not even in terms of wins/$, just wins), then it’s even clearer that they’re doing something right. Yes, I’m very jealous.
While I want Meijia sent down, I think it’s important Perez goes first. He can’t be allowed to remain on this team. It’s a distraction and also seems to send a bad message to Jenri that a veteran pitcher is allowed to behave this way.
Either DL him with “depression” or whatever, or he’s got to be cut. Since, the cutting isn’t going to happen, the DL is the only way to go. You can’t continue to field a team of 24 players (23 actually, because of GMJr.). At least Meijia can still give us a decent outing here or there. Soon they’ll finally decide to promote either Parnell or Acosta and send Meijia down.