Lefty reliever Pedro Feliciano is strongly considering opting out of his contract with the Mets and signing elsewhere, reports Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The Mets informed the 36-year-old he would not be making the Opening Day roster, and they'd like him to spend a month in Triple-A to build arm strength. Feliciano will confer with his agent, but believes he's Major League ready now and may look to continue his comeback elsewhere. If Feliciano does go to the minors for the Mets, he'll receive a $100K retention bonus.
While pitching for the Mets, Feliciano led MLB in appearances in 2008, '09, and '10. After he signed a two-year, $8MM deal with the Yankees, he failed to make a big league appearance for his new club and had rotator cuff surgery in 2011.
This spring, Feliciano missed time when a rare heart condition was diagnosed, and as of a few days ago was working in the 82-83 miles per hour range. The pitcher contends that "velocity don't mean nothing." His spring results were acceptable in 4 1/3 innings. When he last pitched in the Majors, Feliciano worked at about 87 miles per hour.
