The Washington Nationals have signed left-handed reliever Oliver Perez to a two-year, $7 million deal, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.
Perez, a 13-year veteran, spent 2015 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Houston Astros, pitching two games in the American League Division Series.
He was a starter for his first nine years before rejuvenating his career in the bullpen in 2010 with the Seattle Mariners. As a reliever, Perez is 9-14 with a 3.31 ERA, a 1.322 WHIP, 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings and a pair of saves.
Nationals relievers were 10th in the majors last year with a combined 3.46 ERA, and Perez will likely be a setup man in Washington. At closer, the Nationals already have Jonathan Papelbon, who took Drew Storen’s job when the Philadelphia Phillies traded him to Washington before the non-waiver deadline in late July.
Addressing the bullpen was a chief offseason concern for the Nationals, per Bill Ladson of MLB.com:
It needs a serious makeover. The Nationals need everything from a closer to setup men to middle relievers. During the second half of the 2015 season, they had a tough time getting to closer Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth inning because setup men, such as Casey Janssen and Drew Storen, were getting roughed up.
The Nationals failed to make the playoffs in 2015 after beginning the campaign as preseason World Series favorites, per Odds Shark.
Washington’s remarkable rotation has already lost Jordan Zimmermann in free agency, which means it will have to lean on its bullpen even more if it hopes to catch the reigning National League champion New York Mets in what is developing into a competitive NL East.
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