Moyer Voices Displeasure With New Role

With Pedro Martinez set to make his first start in a Phillies uniform Wednesday night, someone had to come out of the rotation. That someone was 256-game winner Jamie Moyer, and the veteran left-hander is none too pleased about his team's decision to relegate him to relief.

From MLB.com's Todd Zolecki:

"I'm really not happy with this decision that the Phillies have made," Moyer said, sitting in the stands behind the first-base dugout. "I will take what they've asked me to do, but I'm not really excited about the decision that has been made. Ultimately, I'm a little disheartened because this past winter when I was negotiating with the Phillies this was a sore thumb, if you will, about this potentially happening.

"You can't promise anything in this game, but I really felt that Ruben [Amaro Jr.] parlayed to me that this type of situation would not happen. Actually, even had some discussion with David [Montgomery] with them reassuring me that this type of situation wouldn't happen."

It's easy to understand why Moyer is unhappy with his demotion to the bullpen. He's accomplished plenty in his career, and, at 46 and with a World Series ring, he could have easily strolled off into the sunset and not returned to Philadelphia at all this season.

On the other hand, when you sign a two-year, $13 million deal with a team, a certain level of performance is expected no matter what promises you receive about playing time. Moyer, who has managed a 10-9 record despite an inflated 5.47 ERA, hasn't been up to that level this season.

If the Phillies were way ahead or way behind in a race, perhaps he'd be due a little more veteran respect, but they aren't running away with the NL East as they try to repeat as World Series champs. The same might be true if he was being replaced by an inexperienced youngster, but Martinez, as you may have heard, is a pretty accomplished pitcher himself.

Moyer said his piece, though, and there's nothing wrong with that, particularly since he seems ready to help the team whatever his role is.

"Whether I like it or not, this is the situation I'm in. I will deal with it. I will deal with it in a respectful way. I'll be respectful to my teammates. Like I said at the beginning, I do not want to be a distraction and I refuse to be a distraction. It's about the 25 players that are here." he said.

"We all have to pick each other up. We all have to support each other. We all have to be professional about what we do. This is job that sometimes you're in situations that you like or dislike and you have to deal with it. That's why for me dealing with this like a man and taking whatever they choose to do. I'm an employee here, but I don't always have to like the situation that I'm in. And that's OK. Life goes on. But like I said, I feel a little disheartened. I feel a little bit like I've been misled. I feel like I've played this game long enough that the respect factor should be there."

I'm not sure about him being misled, but the rest of his comments make him sound like the consummate professional, which, by all accounts, Moyer always has been.

The veteran can certainly eat innings as a long man out of the 'pen. And he might not even need to fill that role for very long. Situations like these always seem to work themselves out naturally.

After all, didn't the Red Sox have nine major league-ready starting pitchers at the beginning of this season?