OK, I caved. I asked the obvious question. Did the Mets make the right move with Oliver Perez?
Well, my Twitter followers had a lot to say. Here are their responses…
Who said yes…
SITTINGINTHEBAC said: yes because he wasn't coming out with the stuff we paid him for so needs to sit back there and think his stuff over
DaCurryman said: U can't really put him on the DL cause he needs 2 get his in-game confidence back. Being part of the BP lets him do that.
Who said no…
jonnew said: Minors, absolutely. Worked for Trachsel and Myers. Ollie will waste in pen. Bad move.
mclay8823 said: I don't think so. The kid is a starter. He needs to go down to the minors for some "rehab" starts
brentsower said: I don't see how we're going to get any use out of him in the pen unless we need someone for an intentional walk.
kerelcoop said: no. if he has something wrong in his delivery or in his head, I'd rather see him work it out in the minors.
metgirl4ever said: NO!! I don't see how he can focus on getting better w/constant reminders of how incompetent he is-he needs change of scenery
mets_geekette said: Yeah.. he won't be any use there but I'd guess they're hoping to keep him near Warthen and generally address his mental block
MissBethAnn said: I think that even when Oliver is at his best he's still too inconsistent for the pen.Shuffle him off to Buffalo toot sweet!
MetsNY81 said: Wrong move, imo. The last thing you want to do out of the bullpen is walk batters, and that's Oliver Perez's specialty.
MarkBennardo said: They should have put Ollie in the bullpen...in BUFFALO!
zim1021 said: No, they didn't. He should go to the minors and work on everything. Once he proves himself, he comes back up.
cutiepie0319k said: wrong move. he should be in the minors rebuilding his confidence and delivery.
gmo418 said: No, whats the move going to do? Have him come in and ruin game in 6th or 7th instead of the 1st?
samtpage said: No. He'll have to be a total shutdown reliever to match his value as a below-average starter, given a mop-up role. Niese plz.
darknova306 said: Ollie should be in extended ST to work on mental discipline and physical conditioning.
nymx5793 said: no. He should have been DLed and went down to St Lucie, not sitting in the pen...
mostlymets said: No. Steve Trachsel and Brett Myers are good examples of what a trip to the minors can accomplish.
mostlymets said: Plus Perez in bullpen means Manuel must change his bullpen usage to be sure Perez gets enough work to overcome his issues.
wendy93639 said: no. All the bullpen has is that *how to walk 'em* training video. When is he going to get the time in to learn how to pitch?
pattigibbons said: No. He should be given the opportunity to focus, retool out of the glare. He should be in Buffalo.
gwong said: They should have asked Ollie for the demotion to the minors so he can work some shit out w/o hurting the team.
lvadgal said: - I think he should have gone to minors. Maybe the pen is step 1 and if he shanks he will go to minors?
Jury is still out…
metsjetsgirl said: I'm not sure yet. I think he walks too many to be very valuable in the 'pen, but time will tell.
From the jokesters…
Retire31 said: No. He still isn't in a Brooklyn Cyclones commercial.
Wow. Overwhelmingly “No.”
Everyone must remember this is only temporary, at least until he gets his stuff back and/or loses it entirely and heads down to Buffalo. He’s up in the majors with Dan Warthen, the pitching coach that knows him best.
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