Oliver Perez and his Arbitration

Ollie can be a free agent at the end of the 2008 season, and this is the first season that he is arbitration eligible. He has signed with Scott Boras as his agent, and this will likely scare many teams off next season, but if he puts together a season anything like 2004 or 2007 this year he will be in line for a HUGE payday. I am sure the book that Boras will put together will make him look better than almost every pitcher. He will be only 27, and the K/9 will say everything.

I love Ollie playing in New York because I get to watch all of his outings on TV, so if he doesn't stay with the Mets than I hope the Yankees can squeeze a few more millions out of their tiny budget! He has shown he can pitch in New York, and in the past the Yankees have gone out of their way to sign players that do well against them (look at his stats against the Yankees in 2007)

Remember Danny Tartbull? He killed the Yankees in the late 80's - so when he was a free agent the Yankees made him rich (they got nothing for their money but the point is the same) Look at Jaret Wright. We all knew he sucked. We all knew he wasn't worth the money that the Yankees paid him - but they did it because of how well he pitched against them when he was on Cleveland. Sidney Ponson - same thing. I could go on forever.

Oliver Perez has asked the Mets for $6.5 million in 2008, and the Mets have countered with 4.7 million. If the team and Ollie can not come to an agreement then the case will go to arbitration. I have heard some people argue that the Mets should just give in to his demands, as it will show some confidence in him, and that could bode well when it comes time to resign. Personally I think that is a crock. Scott Boras will not allow it to happen unless Ollie kicks him to the curb like ARod did.

In my opinion, Omar Minaya should make a good faith effort to sit down with Oliver and Boras and come to a mutual agreement, and not let it go to arbitration. The results will probably be the same - in the 5.5 million dollar range, and it will show a willingness to work together. The Mets should then make a point to get Oliver to go to lunch with ARod when the subway series happens to talk about Boras. That might be the straw that allows the Mets to keep Ollie in 2009 and beyond!