Well it's a new season and I wanted to bring in a new segment for Mets Paradise and it's called "Rain or Shine". The idea is that you take a topic and weigh possible outcomes that could occur. In my view, rain would mean bad, and shine would mean good. So let's give this a try.
The first topic is Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo.
Here are the facts:
- Perez and Castillo will be making $12M and $6M, respectively, from the Mets in 2011.
- Last season Perez pitched in 17 games, making seven starts and posting a 6.80 ERA.
- In 2010 Castillo played in 86 games hitting .235 with an OBP of .337, while collecting six extra-base hits in 247 at-bats.
Last year these two players struggled and their presence on the roster was due to the fact of the amount of money they were getting paid. If these players had minor league contracts and performed as they did they would have been cut from the roster in a heartbeat.
Let's assume that they show up for Spring Training, and are playing like they were during the season. Two possible outcomes could happen:
Rain:
Due to the amount of money that both players are making, the Mets feel they don't have the financial flexibility to release them. After all, $18M is a lot to just throw away. So despite their struggles in Spring Training, Perez and Castillo make the team. Really, all they are doing is taking up space on the roster because they aren't getting much playing time. They've turned the 25-man roster into a 23-man roster, denying deserving players a chance to play in the big leagues. Castillo comes in to pinch hit once in a while against left handed pitchers, and Perez becomes the most expensive second left handed specialist on the team in baseball history. The fans are obviously not happy with the decision and feel as if it's the same old Mets and nothing is going to change with the new front office and new coaches. As a result, attendance at Citi Field drops even lowers than last season, and there is a lack of enthusiasm for the team. This lack of energy rubs off on the other players, which lowers their production on the field as well. Due to the team's poor performance, the sponsors of the team back out, losing the team millions of dollars. This, combined with the low ticket and merchandise sales, leads to the Mets having the dump salary in a fire sale, trading Johan Santana, Carlos Beltran, David Wright, and Jose Reyes, who all had down years so the Mets don't get much in return for them. The Mets organization goes into a dark ages period, and they don't have a season in which they finish above .500 for 10 years.
O.K. maybe I took that a bit too far…
Shine:
Spring Training is over and Perez and Castillo performance was how everyone expected; bad. Where Omar Minaya was scared to release these two players because it would make the contracts he gave them look bad, Sandy Alderson has no problem doing this. He can simply blame it on poor decisions by past front office personal and wants to put together a team of players that he wants. Fans are happy with this decision and the Mets show the world that no matter how much money you might be getting paid, you have to perform well if you want to stay on this team. Fan favorite Daniel Murphy wins the starting job at second base, and due to his past injury experiences, he plays every game like it could be his last. He plays the game hard and with passion which leads to him getting ejected a lot and even into a fight with catcher Carlos Ruiz after taking him out hard at a play at home plate. His play, along with the fact that this team isn't afraid to cut anyone if they don't produce, fires up the team to play. They end up leading the league in ejections and get into several bench clearing brawls, while also leading the league in stolen bases. This inspires fans to come out to the ballpark. Although the Mets aren't the most talented team in the league, their energy to play the game keeps them in a fight to make a playoff spot the whole season. When the 2012 offseason comes around players went to come to the Mets because of the amount of fun and energy they had during the season. Players begin requesting trades to play in Queens and free agent are willing to take a pay cut to play for the Mets. The Mets then put together a dynasty and win four World Series in six seasons.
Not too sure which case is more believable.
Verdict:
In conclusion I have ruled that the Mets cut Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo from the roster. Furthermore, the Mets are forbidden to sign, trade, or draft any player whose name encompasses "Oliver", "Luis", "Perez", or "Castillo" for the rest of it's franchise history.