The early buzz from New York is that Perez will initially seek a five-year deal worth more than $10 million per season, while eventually settling on a three– or four-year deal later in the off-season. 

I suspect the Mets will make a reasonable offer, which Perez will not accept, and then the Mets will move on – as they should.

Perez was 10-7 with a 4.22 ERA last season.

He had a great stretch during July and most of August.  Otherwise, he was all over the road, i.e., great start, bad start, good start, bad start, and so on, just as he had been the previous few seasons.

This off-season’s buzzword has to be ‘reliability,’ ‘consistency,’ etc., and Perez is anything but that, which is why I bet the Mets do not work hard to retain him.

As for Easley, he has a fan in Jerry Manuel, and he has a strong presence in the clubhouse, from what I can gather, so I would not be surprised to see him return on a one-year deal.

Easley is a good baseball player, who knows his role.  He struggled to hit from the bench this season, but did do well as a starter.  However, the Mets need to move forward and cut bait with people, to move on from the last two seasons, and if it’s not from the bench and bullpen, where will those cuts be made?

Castillo, who was able to pinch hit on Saturday, left Friday’s game with what the team called a ‘strained left hip flexor,’ although Castillo later told reporters that he hurt his left quadricep.

Ramon Castro was hit Friday by a pitch on his left elbow, which, though still swollen, is not broken, according to X-rays taken by the team on Saturday.

Matt Wise will fly to California today for a second opinion on his right shoulder.  Wise, who was diagnosed by the Mets with tendinitis, believes it could be nerve damage instead.

Either way, Willie Randolph told reporters that Wise will be out at least ‘a couple of months.’

Lastly, according to the Daily News, Moises Alou will likely be activated from the disabled list when he’s eligible on Thursday.

RHP Carlos Muniz has arrived at Shea Stadium, and will take Wise’s spot on the roster, as had been reported earlier today by Adam Rubin of the Daily News.

In three appearances earlier this season, Muniz allowed no runs and two hits while striking out two batters.

The Mets have also placed OF Angel Pagan on the 15-day disabled list with a injured shoulder.

In their place the Mets have recalled RHP Claudio Vargas, RHP Matt Wise and OF/IF Fernando Tatis.

…good to see the Mets make the correct moves and field their best possible 25-man roster…i’m also happy to see Joe Smith stay with the major league club, he has pitched well and didn’t deserve a demotion…

…as rubin points out, the goal is to use a pitcher from the 40–man roster…whereas Claudio Vargas, like Jorge Sosa, would have to be passed through waivers if the team wants to return him to the minor leagues following the start…

Rubin also reports that Matt Wise will be activated from the disabled list on Thursday, “once the spot starter is returned to New Orleans.”

Ted Berg, of SNY.tv thinks the Mets should just demote Sosa, and risk losing him, writing: “The only rationale the Mets could have for keeping Sosa around is the fear he could flee to free agency or be claimed by another team if he is waived. But at this point, how many Major League teams are clamoring for a reliever with a 7.06 ERA?”

For more, check out Rubin’s report in the Daily News, where he quotes Billy Wagner on the decision to demote Smith.

…added to by Matthew Cerrone…

…this is absurd…Willie Randolph is having a hard enough time managing his bullpen, now he’s being forced to go at it without smith, who has been his best reliever not named wagner…all for sosa, who is due to earn $2 million on the year…unreal…

…i hope this is temporary, in that they recall smith as soon as Wednesday’s starter is no longer needed, which would mean putting a player like Luis Castillo on the disabled list to make room for smith or Matt Wise…

…it’s just so difficult to understand when a team is unwilling to field the best 25–man roster possible…

… added to by Joe Janish …

… if the Mets are so bent on keeping Sosa around, wouldn’t it make more sense to demote Nelson Figueroa? Figueroa would have to remain in AAA for ten days, but his turn won’t come up again until May 24th … then you demote the spot starter on Thursday and activate Wise in his place … plus Figueroa gets a start with New Orleans to stay sharp … unless the Mets are worried that Figueroa won’t pass through waivers on the way down …

…from what i can gather, the Mets are ready to bring him back and like the idea of getting a fresh arm in the mix…

…the problem, however, is that a player will need to be demoted to make room for wise…

The Mets currently house seven relief pitchers and five men on the bench. However, Willie Randolph told reporters yesterday that he would prefer to carry eight relief pitchers, and play short on the bench, than have to demote Joe Smith or Nelson Figueroa or cut Jorge Sosa.

…so, it seems the options are: demote smith or figueroa, cut sosa or put Angel Pagan on the disabled list, or demote him to Triple-A New Orleans, to make room for wise…

Once Wise is promoted, a current pitcher from the team’s pitching staff will be displaced.

…it does not appear the Mets will carry the extra pitcher, and play short on the bench, seeing as how they are seemingly always playing short on the bench to begin with…as such, the future’s of Joe Smith, Jorge Sosa and Nelson Figueroa all seem to be in question…for Matt Wise…matt who…exactly…

…my bet is that the Mets drag their feet on this decision up to the absolute last minute…

…i have no idea how or what they’re going to do…what i fear is that this team will cater towards contract issues, and not just put the best possible team on the field…and that’s so frustrating…

Meanwhile, Pedro Martinez threw a side session in St. Lucie yesterday; Orlando Hernandez is still wearing a boot; and Ramon Castro remains on target for a possible weekend return.

Meanwhile, Matt Wise is scheduled to pitch back-to-back days this week for St. Lucie, which is said to be his final step in his rehab from a sore right forearm.

…i expect to see both of these players back with the Mets by the weekend…of course, that will mean a corresponding move in the bullpen, such as demoting Joe Smith or designating Jorge Sosa for assignment…

…castro has been a mystery…it seems like he’s ready to be back, then not…strong, then weak…playing, then limping off the field…like with alou, i’ll believe in castro’s return when i see it…until then, Oh Casanova…

…the situation with wise is odd, because he’s been able to come back for a while now but hasn’t…i get the feeling his future has more to do with who he replaces at the major-league level, than it has to do with his health…

As such, at Mets Today, Joe Janish runs through who should be demoted in place of Wise, such as Aaron Heilman who, according to Janish, still has options and can be demoted to the minor leaguers without having to be put on waivers.

Lastly, as the Daily News reported yesterday, Pedro Martinez has started throwing on a bullpen mound in St. Lucie.

…based on what we know from the past, martinez will next need to throw in simulated games and then rehab games, meaning he should not be on the legit radar until the end of May, with a likely return in June some time…

…in case you’ve forgotten, alou is the tall, skinny guy with quick wrists, who hit well for the Mets at the end of last season…don’t worry, you’ll know him when you see him…

Meanwhile, Brian Schneider remained in the hospital yesterday with a staph infection in his thumb.

…the common theory seems to be that schneider will be activated when alou is activated, when the team can demote Gustavo Molina back to Triple-A…Ramon Castro is still not an option…he has been playing games in extended spring training, but, according to Omar Minaya, who talked with reporters yesterday, castro is still limping when he runs…

Meanwhile, Matt Wise is also expected to join the Mets in Arizona on Thursday, after having been on the disabled list since April 8 due to a bruise on his right forearm.

…so, who will go when wise enters…logically, it would have to be either Jorge Sosa or Joe Smith…sosa will need to pass through waivers to remain in the organization, while smith can simply be sent to Triple-A with no consequence…obviously, smith should stay (from a talent point of view), but sosa may need to stick around for a while from a roster management point of view…

Lastly, Jose Valentin was in town to have his neck examined by team doctors and told reporters that he has been cleared for baseball activities. 

Valentin will soon report to extended spring training in St. Lucie, where he’ll be able to do light throwing and hit from a tee.