Cleveland, OH (92.3 The Fan) – The Indians re-signed Oliver Perez to a one-year contract with a vesting option for 2020. The deal is worth $2.5 million in 2019 according to multiple reports. A $2.75 million vesting option for 2020 is activated if Perez appears in 55 games and is healthy according to Zack Meisel of The Athletic.
Source: Perez will earn $2.5 million in 2019. His vesting option is worth $2.75 million for 2020 if he appears in 55 games in 2019 and is healthy. That can increase to $3 million if he appears in 60 games and is healthy.
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel)
January 25, 2019 “Oliver did such a good job for us in the time that he came up last year,” President Chris Antonetti said. “He really helped stabilize our bullpen at a point and time when we really needed it. He pitched extraordinarily well for us against both left and right-handed hitters and became a very reliable option for Tito as the season progressed. We’re excited to welcome him back and think he can have a big impact on our team again this year.”
Perez, 37, appeared in 51 games for the Indians last season. He posted a 1.39 ERA and had 43 strikeouts in 32.1 innings. The Indians need bullpen help, so re-signing Perez is far from a surprise.
“We do feel good about the depth we have,” Antonetti said when asked about the bullpen. “It will be an area where we continue to always seek options that can potentially improve upon that. We feel with some of the returning players that we had from last year’s bullpen – guys returning from injury, as well as a few players that we acquired through the course of trades or some minor signings this offseason. We feel like we have a good group to choose from heading into spring training. That won’t preclude us from looking at other options to improve that group, but we do feel good about the group of guys we have.”
Pitchers and catchers report to Goodyear, Arizona on February 12.
