The New York Mets need help for their beleaguered relievers, so they've signed Cionel Perez to a minor league deal.
The New York Mets’ bullpen was overextended this week, and they’ve added a left-handed reliever, Cionel Perez, who was with the Washington Nationals, according to a report by Steve Adams of MLBTradeRumors.com.
The Mets have been doing this sort of thing with lefty Richard Lovelady for some time, but now they’ve decided to change up and try a different reliever. Perez won a roster spot with seven shutout innings in spring training, which is probably why the Mets had interest after scouting him.
But Perez couldn’t take that forward into the regular season. He pitched a scoreless inning in his Nationals debut, then surrendered runs in each of his next three outings. Perez struggled on and off after that, and finally Washington designated him for assignment.
His final stats with the Nationals are unsightly. He wound up with a 6.19 ERA with 11 walks and nine strikeouts in 16 innings. It’s the second bad year in a row for Perez, but before that he had a solid run with the Baltimore Orioles from 2022-2024.
His numbers there were also part of what probably attracted the Mets, as he had a 3.12 ERA to go with a 20.2 percent strikeout rate and a 10.6 percent walk rate, and Perez picked up 57 holds and six saves during that run.
Perez has also showed some impressive velocity with the Nationals, as he got his fastball just above 96 mph. The key to unlocking his effectiveness will probably depend on his command and control, as he’s shown a tendency to hit batters and throw wild pitches on a regular basis.
The Mets bullpen is currently rated eighth in the majors, according to Adams, but their free agent additions have struggled. Both Luke Weaver and closer Devin Williams have had some bad outings, but some of their underlying metrics suggest that this situation is only temporary.
Perez will probably report to Triple-A Syracuse after signing, and the pitcher to watch here is Craig Kimbrel, who has struggled with his velocity and command. Kimbrel cost the Mets a game against the Colorado Rockies yesterday as he gave up a grand slam in the eighth inning, and his roster spot could be in jeopardy given that he didn’t even make the club out of camp.
The Mets also have several starters who have landed in the pen after struggling, and it’s going to take a while for New York to get this situation straightened out. Perez will start as a depth piece, but he could be part of the Syracuse shuttle if Kimbrel and the Mets continue to struggle.