Ever since the Saturday meltdown in Philadelphia fans and media alike have been speculating how to fix Oliver Perez. Here is a wild thought: how about trade him? How you ask? Why not call the Tampa Bay Rays and try to reacquire Scott Kazmir.

I realize this idea, on the surface, sounds crazy. I believe both pitchers could use a change of scenery and their salaries aren’t all that far off. Kazmir may not be the mess that Perez is, but he has yet to realize, outside of 2007, his full potential. To date Kazmir has been inconsistent, fails to go deep in games, and walks way too many batters. Sound familiar? Before the meltdowns of this season Perez was not all that different. This year Kazmir is 3-3 with a 6.00 ERA. He is also struggling with control walking nearly six batters per nine innings. As a matter of fact, Baseball Reference has Kazmir as a comparable to Perez at similar ages.

Money is always the obstacle when making a deal of this nature. Perez is in the first year of a three year/$36 million dollar contract. Kazmir also is in the first year of his extension which will pay him $28.5 million over the next three years. The kicker is the club option of 2012 that could run Tampa an addition $13.5 million. Even a buyout ($2.5 million) will cost the Rays a bit. How confident are you that the Kazmir contract is any better than Perez? It conceivable could be between six million less to, in worst case scenario, five million more. If David Price is as good as advertised, you will have to worry about paying him around the same time a decision is needed regarding the Kazmir option. You also have Garza (free agency) and Shields (club options), if they continue, up for big money around the same time. Why not get something for Kazmir and reduce future liability?

If Oliver Perez is right he is every bit the pitcher that Scott Kazmir is. The statistics prove it if you compare Perez of 07- 08 to Kazmir of 06 and 08. The only season Kazmir fully realized his potential and pitched like an ace was 2007. If there is a concern from Tampa about money the Mets could either throw in a prospect (Dillon Gee, Jonathan Niese, etc) or take on salary (Chad Bradford and his $3.5 million).

I realize this type of idea will be met with polarizing reactions. The only way Tampa does this is if they are concerned about the health, durability, and long term financial liability of Kazmir. Remember, injury has never been the issue with Perez. You also have seen that a change of scenario works, albeit in sort stretches, when it comes to fixing Oliver. Still, the only reason this is viable is because of the presence of Price in their organization This may be a wild and unlikely scenario (can’t wait to hear what my friends at Rays Index say), but you have to admit it’s not the craziest trade proposal you have ever heard.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

Mike Silva

View all posts by Mike Silva
Mikes website

Tags: David Price, James Shields, Matt Garza, New York Mets, Oliver Perez, Scott Kazmir, Tampa Bay Rays