Is Mike Pelfrey pitching his way off the New York Mets’ roster? Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported Saturday that the Mets “would like” to trade the 28-year-old right-hander, but seems to indicate that a deal would be unlikely.
Pelfrey went just 7-13 with a 4.74 ERA and has been brutal this spring, pitching to a 14.90 ERA and allowing 20 hits in 9.2 innings pitched. Pelfrey’s poor work and his $5.675 million contract make him difficult to trade right now. In addition, as Heyman points out, the Mets really have few options to replace Pelfrey with in the starting rotation at this point.
Pelfrey went 15-9 with a 3.66 ERA in 2010, and the Mets hoped he would step up in 2011 and help soften the blow of losing Johan Santana for the season. Pelfrey, however, has continued to struggle leading to speculation that he and the Mets could be headed for a divorce.