Alay

Soler

Soler gave up 14 hits, walked six and struck out 23, so his performance wasn’t all that discouraging. The Cuban defector is likely to begin next season in Triple-A, but he’ll probably get a chance to start games for the Mets at some point.

Why would his agent do such a thing? Because he’s owed money. Soler has complained that Cubas was attempting to take a 15 percent cut of the $2.8 million contract he signed with the Mets, three times the maximum allowed. Cubas has been suspended by the MLBPA, which refused to comment on the situation. Until there’s a resolution, Soler apparently will be stuck in the Dominican Republic.

The starting pitcher would report to Single-A St. Lucie.

Soler outpitched Erik Bedard, but he was denied a win after Aaron Heilman gave up four runs in the seventh. NL-only leaguers will want to keep Soler active against the Reds in his next start.

The Diamondbacks were ridiculoously aggressive at the plate tonight, resulting in 15 groundball outs and a 108-pitch complete game for Soler. The 26-year-old struck out two and walked three in his fourth major league start. The effort means Soler has to be picked up in NL-only leagues. He’s still a risky play, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to use him in a home start against the Orioles on Friday.

Eric Byrnes and Conor Jackson homered off Soler, who wasn’t involved in the decision after turning in a quality start against the Phillies last week. Brian Bannister isn’t expected back anytime soon, so Soler should make at least a few more starts if he pitches better next time out. Another poor outing like this could bring John Maine or Dave Williams into the picture.

With John Maine about ready to return, Soler was likely in danger of a demotion if he struggled again. This, though, should serve to keep him in the rotation for at least one more turn. NL-only leaguers should wait and see how he fares against the Diamondbacks this weekend before picking him up.

Soler is 1-0 with a 2.75 ERA and just three walks in 19 2/3 innings since moving up to Bignhamton. He’s expected to make his major league debut Wednesday against the Phillies, pushing Jeremi Gonzalez back to Thursday. NL-only leaguers would be smart to stash him away.

Soler will join the rotation, but the Mets still haven’t announced whether his debut will come Wednesday or Thursday. He’ll be facing the Phillies in either case, so he shouldn’t be used right away in NL-only leagues.

With Soler pitching Wednesday, Jeremi Gonzalez is expected to start on Thursday. Soler isn’t worth using right away in NL-only leagues.