MIAMI – Oliver Perez makes his season debut here tonight, and it could very well be the start of his last year as a Met.
Already coming off a $6.5 million arbitration victory in February that was nearly $2 million more than the Mets were willing to pay, the young left-hander can become a free agent in the offseason.
A repeat of his surprising 15-win season last year is sure to get Perez a huge payday – somewhere. It seems doubtful it would be the Mets after they just gave Johan Santana the richest contract for a pitcher in baseball history.
It’s potentially heady stuff, especially for someone who washed out in Pittsburgh just two years ago, but Perez insists he is having none of it. The only thing on his mind is the Marlins, tonight’s opponent at Dolphin Stadium in the series finale.
“[Free agency] is just something that I’m not going to think about,” Perez said yesterday. “Once the season ends, then it’ll be different. Right now, I’m just focused on pitching.”
After Pedro Martinez’s hamstring injury last night, Perez might have to focus on pitching the final home opener ever at Shea Stadium on Tuesday.
That was supposed to be Martinez’s start, but Perez – the No. 3 starter in the Met rotation – now is poised to move up and fill that role because there is an off day the day before.
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Orlando Hernandez said he expects to make his first minor-league rehabilitation start tomorrow in Port St. Lucie after an encouraging bullpen session Monday.
El Duque is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list on April 13, and he sounded yesterday as if that is a realistic timetable. Mike Pelfrey is taking at least the first two turns in the No. 5 rotation spot while Hernandez builds strength.
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Willie Randolph wants second baseman Luis Castillo to keep doing one of the things he does best – bunt. Randolph just wants him to be a little more judicious about it.
Randolph said before last night’s loss that he spoke with Castillo about his bunt single the day before in the third inning of a 7-2 Opening Day win.
The gist of their conversation: Why so early in the game?
“We don’t need him to do that,” Randolph said. “We want to keep the rhythm going without giving up the out. It’s no big deal, but if you’ve got a pitcher we can score some runs on, you don’t give him an out. Swing the bat.”