Heilman's Preference To Start Should've Been Kept In House
It's pretty well known that the Mets are willing to trade Aaron Heilman if they can get
something of value back, but Heilman's agent, Mark Rodgers, has released the heretofore thinly veiled information that the pitcher would prefer to be a starter. It's one thing for that to be known, but publicly unsaid; it's another for it to get out to the media as a means of forcing the organization's hand.
Heilman doesn't like pitching in relief and that's fine; some guys have the makeup for it and some don't; but for the agent to come out and basically give the team an ultimatum is not only going to hinder the Mets as they do try to trade Heilman, it's going to limit the number of places that he can be traded to since presumably some of the interested teams would want him as a reliever.
Heilman is a former first round draft pick and the Mets aren't going to give him away. The problem is that Heilman sees himself as a starter; the Mets don't think he can be an effective,
long-term starter. Former pitching coach Rick Peterson has explained this since his dismissal by saying that Heilman's arm angle and motion is very unique and it's hard for him to continually repeat it time-after-time. But Peterson is gone now and perhaps the team, if they don't get any trade offers they deem worthy, should at least consider the option of Heilman as a starter. He's not comfortable relieving; he's not able to handle the late-season pressure of the job and if he'd prefer to start, maybe that's the best place for him. His agent did him a disservice by announcing this because it may have done more harm than good.
something of value back, but Heilman's agent, Mark Rodgers, has released the heretofore thinly veiled information that the pitcher would prefer to be a starter. It's one thing for that to be known, but publicly unsaid; it's another for it to get out to the media as a means of forcing the organization's hand. Heilman doesn't like pitching in relief and that's fine; some guys have the makeup for it and some don't; but for the agent to come out and basically give the team an ultimatum is not only going to hinder the Mets as they do try to trade Heilman, it's going to limit the number of places that he can be traded to since presumably some of the interested teams would want him as a reliever.
Heilman is a former first round draft pick and the Mets aren't going to give him away. The problem is that Heilman sees himself as a starter; the Mets don't think he can be an effective,
long-term starter. Former pitching coach Rick Peterson has explained this since his dismissal by saying that Heilman's arm angle and motion is very unique and it's hard for him to continually repeat it time-after-time. But Peterson is gone now and perhaps the team, if they don't get any trade offers they deem worthy, should at least consider the option of Heilman as a starter. He's not comfortable relieving; he's not able to handle the late-season pressure of the job and if he'd prefer to start, maybe that's the best place for him. His agent did him a disservice by announcing this because it may have done more harm than good. 
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