Mike Antonini was told by B-Mets Hector Berrios that he is now a part of the pen instead of a rotational starter.
"We were given instructions to put him in the bullpen," Berrios said, which is exactly how it works with Omar & Co. We always called the phone in Manager Tim Tuefel’s office, in Savannah, the Bat Phone. As a Mets reporter, you learn early… don’t ask the manager or the pitching coach why someone is pitching or not; it simply isn’t their decision to make.
"We were given instructions to put him in the bullpen," Berrios said, which is exactly how it works with Omar & Co. We always called the phone in Manager Tim Tuefel’s office, in Savannah, the Bat Phone. As a Mets reporter, you learn early… don’t ask the manager or the pitching coach why someone is pitching or not; it simply isn’t their decision to make.
At the same time, Dylan Owen, who was demoted to the Lucy pen from the B-Met rotation, got the call to go to the airport and he is starting tonight for Binghamton. Don’t look for a long lease here, and I expect he too is future pen material for the Mets.
The next domino effect will actually happen from both ends of the organization. John Maine will eventually be reactivated by the Mets, sometimes during next week, which will start the return process to Buffalo of either Tim Redding or Fernando Nieve. Nieve’s future in Queens is probably heavilty weighted on how he does tonight against the Cardinals. I mean, how do you send down omeone that is 3-0?
In addition, Scott Moviel, has quietly come off the St. Lucie disabled list and pitched effectively for the GCL Mets last night.
Let’s assume Maine is activated and Moviel moves over one locker in Florida… The current Lucy rotation is one man short (Jeffrey Kaplan, Brant Rustich, Angel Calero, and Scott Shaw), with Nick Carr going on the DL. Moviel would fit in their perfectly.
My guess is the Mets will either release, or demote Redding, and there’s a good chance with the state of poor pitching in the majors right now, he wouldn’t clear the DFA process. But if he did, and wound up back in Buffalo, either Brandon Knight or Lance Broadway would return to the pen or be cut.
The whole process starts again when AAA-prospect Dillon Gee comes off of the DL soon.
And, then there’s Oliver Perez.
Here’s my spin.
If he starts going lights out in the minors, he will wind up back in Queens, but possibly as a long man. The Mets would have to decide which inconsistent flake they would want in rotation, Nieve or Perez.
If he continues to stink it up, he will go back on the DL for the remainder of the season, and confidential negotiations will begin with his agent for a buyout of his contract.
(But what did I ever know about OP’s future as a Met?)
Mack
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