Young lefties with a history of success don't stay unemployed for long. On Monday, the New York Mets made the long-anticipated move of releasing southpaw Oliver Perez and eating the rest of his $12 million contract. Perez then became free to negotiate with any and every other team in baseball, and he decided to stay in the same division, signing on with the Washington Nationals.
Oliver Perez Signs With Nationals After Being Released By Mets
The Nationals have signed Perez to a minor league contract, and because his salary is still the Mets' responsibility, they'll get him at the league minimum, making him a zero-risk investment. So now Washington becomes the team that tries to squeeze something out of a clearly talented but unthinkably frustrating 29-year-old body. Perez was a moderately effective pitcher as recently as 2008, but has averaged eight walks per nine innings over the past two seasons.
The Nationals signed Perez at the recommendation of pitching coordinator Spin Williams, who worked with Perez in Pittsburgh. The two have a good relationship.
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