Oliver Perez is headed to the New York Mets bullpen, likely his last chance to make the team. The left-hander allowed his first four batters to reach base Tuesday against the Houston Astros in his final opportunity to prove he could be a starter. Overall, he gave up three runs on four hits and two walks in three innings.

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Oliver Perez allowed his first four batters to reach and gave up three runs in the first before settling down with two scoreless innings. Not the type of outing that gave the New York Mets confidence. Hunter Pence singled in a run off the left-hander and Carlos Lee hit a two-run double, leading the Houston Astros over the Mets 5-4 Tuesday in a split-squad game.

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Oliver Perez entered the New York Mets camp as a big question mark this spring. Now it's sounding like the...

Posted under mlb

Don’t get your hopes up for Cliff Lee, Met fans. It’s not going to happen. Nor will the Mets have a free spending off-season, like they did under Omar Minaya.

Rather look for some smart bargain basement moves where new general manager Sandy Alderson will utilize some of his statistical analysis to fill the holes on the roster.

“Will we be in the market this year aggressively? Unlikely,” Alderson said.

Added COO Jeff Wilpon, “We have to have some more conversation with him, but I assume we’re close to the maximum. And I don’t think he would recommend, and hasn’t recommended, going above that right now.”

Alderson’s biggest signings may come in the front office. No matter who the field manager will be, if the new GM can be reunited Paul DePodesta to run the statistical analysis department and J.P. Ricciardi to helm the player personnel area – two executives reportedly on his list – then the Mets may be on their way to contending in 2011.

Not a fan of using his prospects for chips, Alderson is willing to explore trading any and all veterans – including Jose Reyes and David Wright – if the price is right.

“I think we’re going to be busy, but that’s first and maybe ultimately only to assess the market,” Alderson said. “We don’t really know what’s out there. We need to be actively engaged in finding out what’s available to us, who has interest in some of our players, and just assess things as we develop more information. But right now it would be hard to say how active we’re going to be in actual transactions. But we’re going to be out there fishing.”

High on-base percentage players will be a key for Alderson. The use of stats will be a new concept in Queens, something Minaya would never consider, relying more on the scouts or even the BetUS sportsbook.

He will also try to shed the dead weight in on the roster. Of course, he’s not going to outright say he will release Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo, you can bet their days are numbered. Fred and Jeff Wilpon even said they would have released them last season, if Minaya broached the subject, but never did.

“And, by the way, there may other ‘hits’ that he comes up with — not only the obvious ones,” Fred Wilpon said.

Then there’s the manager, who will be hired in the next 30 days. Both Wilpons said the subject of a high paid manager never came up in conversations, so that should take Joe Torre and Bobby Valentine off the list, but Alderson said he likes a high spirited manager, which keeps Wally Backman in the running.

“I also think it’s important for a manager to be somewhat analytical, but at the same time occasionally and sometimes often intuitive,” Alderson said. “We’re looking for somebody that is right for our situation. What is our situation? You start with the fact that it’s New York City. …

“We’re looking for somebody that fits intellectual requirements, but also intuitive and emotional ones. That manager may have experience, may not have experience at the major league level. We’re very open-minded about it at this point. But I do want to emphasize that whoever is selected is going to be the manager and making those decisions and needs to have a certain level of independence in order to accomplish what he needs to accomplish.”

No matter what happens in the ensuing months though, one thing’s for certain: Things have changed in Queens already.

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Don’t get your hopes up for Cliff Lee, Met fans. It’s not going to happen. Nor will the Mets have a free spending off-season, like they did under Omar Minaya.

Rather look for some smart bargain basement moves where new general manager Sandy Alderson will utilize some of his statistical analysis to fill the holes on the roster.

“Will we be in the market this year aggressively? Unlikely,” Alderson said.

Added COO Jeff Wilpon, “We have to have some more conversation with him, but I assume we’re close to the maximum. And I don’t think he would recommend, and hasn’t recommended, going above that right now.”

Alderson’s biggest signings may come in the front office. No matter who the field manager will be, if the new GM can be reunited Paul DePodesta to run the statistical analysis department and J.P. Ricciardi to helm the player personnel area – two executives reportedly on his list – then the Mets may be on their way to contending in 2011.

Not a fan of using his prospects for chips, Alderson is willing to explore trading any and all veterans – including Jose Reyes and David Wright – if the price is right.

“I think we’re going to be busy, but that’s first and maybe ultimately only to assess the market,” Alderson said. “We don’t really know what’s out there. We need to be actively engaged in finding out what’s available to us, who has interest in some of our players, and just assess things as we develop more information. But right now it would be hard to say how active we’re going to be in actual transactions. But we’re going to be out there fishing.”

High on-base percentage players will be a key for Alderson. The use of stats will be a new concept in Queens, something Minaya would never consider, relying more on the scouts.

He will also try to shed the dead weight in on the roster. Of course, he’s not going to outright say he will release Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo, you can bet their days are numbered. Fred and Jeff Wilpon even said they would have released them last season, if Minaya broached the subject, but never did. It’s something you couldn’t even do any online betting on.

“And, by the way, there may other ‘hits’ that he comes up with — not only the obvious ones,” Fred Wilpon said.

Then there’s the manager, who will be hired in the next 30 days. Both Wilpons said the subject of a high paid manager never came up in conversations, so that should take Joe Torre and Bobby Valentine off the list, but Alderson said he likes a high spirited manager, which keeps Wally Backman in the running.

“I also think it’s important for a manager to be somewhat analytical, but at the same time occasionally and sometimes often intuitive,” Alderson said. “We’re looking for somebody that is right for our situation. What is our situation? You start with the fact that it’s New York City. …

“We’re looking for somebody that fits intellectual requirements, but also intuitive and emotional ones. That manager may have experience, may not have experience at the major league level. We’re very open-minded about it at this point. But I do want to emphasize that whoever is selected is going to be the manager and making those decisions and needs to have a certain level of independence in order to accomplish what he needs to accomplish.”

But even if you want to bet on baseball, one thing’s for certain: Things have changed in Queens already.

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The deal for Derek Lowe still isnt done. Based on an inside source close to no one, and verified by a source that I just made up, Boras won’t lower Lowe’s asking price and is confident another suitor will emerge, most likely Philly or Boston.

Meanwhile, the Mets, wary of repeating last years mistake of waiting it out for the best player available and neglecting other aspects of the team (namely bullpen) have extended an offer to Tim Redding and have now made Oliver Perez their main target to fill the hole in the rotation. Redding will be merely an insurance arm that may be plugged into the bullpen and pushed into a starting role should Perez struggle.

The longer this years off-season wears on with so much inaction, the more likely we will be stuck with a leftfield platoon of Dan Murphy and Fernando Tatis and a season of watching Luis Castillo limping out to second, hacking at outside pitches and not moving Reyes over in 2009. Oh, goodie.

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Joel Sherman takes a look a Jerry Manuel’s options for the final 44 games of the season. He’s laid out three interesting options:

Manuel dismissed any lingering patience with his veteran relievers after a loss yesterday that was unacceptable and unfathomable. The Pirates essentially were trying to surrender at Shea, yet the Mets bullpen burned the white flag and another sure victory went up in smoke.

So following a 7-5 loss to Pittsburgh, Manuel said this about who will provide the key outs late in games the rest of this season: “Everything from here on out is a possibility.” Manuel shared some options at a post-game news conference, but The Post has learned all three main scenarios the organization is now mulling:

1. Have Eddie Kunz, who has all of three major league appearances, reprise his Double-A closing role, at least until Billy Wagner returns, which is currently scheduled for Monday. This is the most likely choice.

2. Keep Brian Stokesin the rotation and call upon either John Maine or Oliver Perez to serve as a multi-inning fireman. For now the Mets don’t want to mess with Mike Pelfrey by requesting a rotation-to-pen change.

3. Summon top pitching prospect Jon Niese for the rotation and use Stokes plus either Maine or Perez to serve as the main late-inning relievers.

Kunz, Maine and Perez all said they were game for any assignment. Yet, all of these scenarios are drenched in peril. Kunz lacks experience or a dependable second pitch. Stokes has just one major league start this year and was a culprit last year in a Tampa pen that was one of the worst ever. Maine is only now ready to come off the DL from a strained rotator cuff, so you wonder how his arm would respond to a change in preparation. Perez has been the Mets’ co-best starter with Johan Santana for two months.

It speaks to Manuel’s desperation – and that of his team – that he is considering the radical with 42 games remaining. He said, “We can’t continue to perform this way late in games.” But a loss like yesterday’s is just so demoralizing and the pen problems now are so episodic that Manuel lost his serenity and put all contingency plans on the table.

Finally someone in the Mets organization is ready to face the cold hard facts. Aaron Heilman is ineffective as a closer or even eighth inning work, Pedro Feliciano and Scott Schoeneweis are specialists and not suited to pitch to more than one or two batters and that Joe Smith is over worked and under matched for the role the Mets expect him to play.

Those plans are all valid and logical options for stopping the bleeding. A few thoughts:

-Moving one of the starters to the pen is dicey as robbing Peter to pay Paul doesn’t raise the talent level.

-A better option than Niese replacing Maine or Perez probably would have Niese assigned the role of long reliever. Keep in mind, it the Mets were way in front or out of the race, Niese would be up for a cup of coffee and likely in that role anyway. The Mets desperately need a pitcher that can be called upon to get 6-12 outs per appearence. An attempt to keep him away from situational pressure is offset by the Mets competing in a pennant race in New York in late August and September. The pressure is everywhere.

-For some reason, I think a move to the bullpen might somehow affect the rock of mental stability that is Oliver Perez

-El Duque would be great here, but I have a feeling he’s done for good.

-Kunz in a more substantial role, even closer just makes sense. Even if he blows a save or two, it would have happened anyway with Heilman or Schoeneweis.

-Stokes to the pen probably won’t help much, though it can’t hurt in comparison to recent pen performance.

Bottom line is this team desperately needs an almost complete bullpen overhaul. The three options Sherman has laid out may ease the pen’s workload, but an outside arm is essential. Minaya desperately needs to work a post deadline deal or start signing players off the scrap heap if there is a prayer of saving this season.

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