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Mariners Sign Oliver Perez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 18, 2012 at 5:38pm CDT

The Mariners signed left-hander Oliver Perez to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, the team announced. The Boras Corporation represents the 30-year-old, who didn't pitch in the Major Leagues in 2011.

Perez struck out 239 batters with a 2.98 ERA as a 22-year-old in 2004. After he struggled with his command for two seasons, the Pirates traded him to the Mets for Xavier Nady. Perez posted a 3.91 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 371 innings from 2007-08 and the Mets signed him to a regrettable three-year, $36MM contract. They got just 112 1/3 innings of 6.81 ERA ball out of the investment before releasing Perez last March.

Perez pitched 75 2/3 solid innings for the Nationals' Double-A club in 2011. He finished the season with a 3.09 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 15 starts.

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Seattle Mariners Transactions Oliver Perez

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View Comments (94)
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94 Comments

  1. dudemanbro

    13 years ago

    why?

    Reply
    • Shawn Ryu

      13 years ago

      Depth

      Reply
      • dudemanbro

        13 years ago

        why?

        Reply
        • KJ

          13 years ago

          Zero risk

          Reply
          • YaGottaBelieve11

            13 years ago

            Zero reward as well

            Reply
            • KJ

              13 years ago

              Yeah, well, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.

              Reply
              • YaGottaBelieve11

                13 years ago

                Haha sorry. Justa little bitter

                Reply
    • Tom

      13 years ago

      its a minor league deal, people do not need to question why.

      Reply
  2. cedarandstone

    13 years ago

    Gio Gonzales 1.0

    Reply
    • vonhayesdays

      13 years ago

      just stop 

      Reply
    • michael hughes

      13 years ago

      What does that makes Gio Gonzales? Gio Gonzales 2.0? Wouldn’t it be weird if Gio Gonzales was Gio Gonzales 2.0?

      Reply
  3. Alex 18

    13 years ago

    Waste of a roster spot.

    Reply
    • Chip1010

      13 years ago

      He hasn’t made the roster.

      Reply
      • Raylan Givens' Stetson

        13 years ago

        AAA Roster.

        Reply
      • Alex 18

        13 years ago

        Waste of a spot on any level.

        Reply
  4. John

    13 years ago

    LOL never thought I’d hear about this dude ever again.

    Reply
  5. Shawn Rosen

    13 years ago

    HAHAHAHAHAHA what a waste of time. Even the Mariners minor league system should not be this desperate.

    Reply
  6. 95isover

    13 years ago

    A favor to Boras.  Earned the Ms a discount for Prince.

    Reply
  7. Shawn Rosen

    13 years ago

    more like Gio Gonzalez -50.7

    Reply
  8. Tyler 20

    13 years ago

    The Mariners arent going to do much this season anyway. Its a minor league deal and a low risk high reward flyer. Maybe something happens and he is a solid 5? No risk  

    Reply
    • Bob9988

      13 years ago

      Low risk, sure.  High reward….no.

      Reply
      • Miles

        13 years ago

        The M’s need arms in AAA. Their shiney arms should start the season in AA Jackson where it’s warm. Tacoma and the PCL has a lot of very cold ball parks in April/May. Hultzen and Paxton should start in Jackson and move to Tacoma or Seattle when it gets warmer.

        Reply
        • jamison_m

          13 years ago

          I’ve never really thought about it like that…

          Reply
      • PennMariner

        13 years ago

        There is certainly some potential for high reward with a guy who has a 9.1 K/9 over a 9 year career. It doesn’t hurt to stash him in Tacoma as depth.

        Reply
      • Tyler 20

        13 years ago

        So the one percent chance that all of a sudden Oliver Perez finds his game and pitches sub par is automatically stricken? The Mariners are NOT doing anything this year anyway so like i said low risk because if he sucks he sucks who cares, If he pitches half decent? idk seems like a plus to me. Dont think the FO is expecting him to give Felix a run for Ace

        Reply
  9. Ricardo Elorza

    13 years ago

    And to think I actually wanted them to trade for him while whe was in Pittsburgh because he reminded me a litte of Randy Johnson. Good times.

    Reply
  10. Benny

    13 years ago

    Wow!!! Why sign this bum? He should be a bag boy at a supermarket right now, instead of being a pitcher. He gives a bad name to pitchers.

    Reply
    • Tony Matias

      13 years ago

      … and to bag boys…

      Reply
    • jamison_m

      13 years ago

      He’s basically been hired to eat innings in Tacoma and in Spring Training. They might as well have signed a bag boy, but a bag boy would still require the same minimum wage, minor league contract (speculation) that Oliver Perez is getting.

      Reply
  11. Mike

    13 years ago

    Do the rainiers really need him?

    Reply
    • Tyler 20

      13 years ago

      Depth you never know someone could get hurt and he could do a 180 

      Reply
  12. JacksTigers

    13 years ago

    [Insert World Series joke here]

    Reply
  13. vegasangelsfan

    13 years ago

    Your move Rangers and Angels

    Reply
    • Bryan

      13 years ago

      pass.  go ahead and move again.

      Reply
      • m4r1n3r

        13 years ago

        Hahaha….good one.

        Reply
  14. $3513744

    13 years ago

    It’s a 3 for 1 deal.  Sign Perez and EJax, and they get Prince too.

    Reply
    • ARod's Ring

      13 years ago

      Isn’t that 3 for 2?

      Reply
  15. nymets4581

    13 years ago

    Ooohhh sorry M’s fans. We know all too well….

    Reply
    • Luis

      13 years ago

      Wouldn’t you like to have Vargas and Carp by now? 

      Reply
      • YaGottaBelieve11

        13 years ago

        No, not really.

        Reply
        • m4r1n3r

          13 years ago

          You should. At least Carp anyway.

          Reply
          • YaGottaBelieve11

            13 years ago

            Why? Mets literally have 3 Carps already in Ike, Murphy, and Duda – and they all are better hitters than Carp is

            Reply
  16. GEOLINK

    13 years ago

    LOLMariners

    Reply
    • leachim2

      13 years ago

      That doesn’t work.

      Reply
  17. Bry

    13 years ago

    Where is your source?

    Reply
  18. dlacsa

    13 years ago

    Regrettable is an understatement

    Reply
  19. Ichiroll

    13 years ago

    Clearly the words “Minor League Deal” is being overlooked here……

    Reply
    • Benny

      13 years ago

      No it’s not! He is just not worth a minor league deal. That is how bad he sucks. This guy was not worth the $36 mil he got. Nobody should offer this guy a job! Just let him run off with his riches and never return.

      Reply
      • Ichiroll

        13 years ago

        Ronny Cedeno was offered a 1 year deal with the Mets.

        Miguel Batista was offered a minor league contract with the Mets.

        What are your thoughts on these signings? Both played for the Mariners, both were dreadful. 

        The significance of a minor league deal, is being overshadowed by your hatred for the guy. I could say the same thing about both of those guys as you said for Perez, but the fact of the matter is, their deals, they don’t really mean anything…

        Reply
        • Benny

          13 years ago

          Ronny Cedeno and Miguel Batista are both scraping the pan signings. Mets are broke and can’t afford anyone with talent. 

          There is a difference between an unnecessary signing (Ollie), and a signing of a type of player you actually need (Mets signings).

          Reply
          • PennMariner

            13 years ago

            Minor league depth signings aren’t unnecessary. We need starters in Tacoma. Oliver Perez will likely be one of them. It truly shouldn’t be this difficult to wrap your head around.

            Reply
            • Benny

              13 years ago

              Yes, but there are better options. I’d rather have a 4 man rotation in Tacoma than waste a spot with Ollie.

              Reply
              • jamison_m

                13 years ago

                Then it’s probably a good thing you don’t run a baseball team =]

                Reply
              • sheagoodbye

                13 years ago

                It’s obvious they don’t know just how inexplicably horrible Ollie is. It’s better that way…

                Reply
                • jamison_m

                  13 years ago

                  It’s more like we don’t really care how horrible he is since he’s on a minor league deal that calls for him to eat innings in Spring Training and Tacoma, having zero effect on the big league club or its budget.

                  Reply
                  • sheagoodbye

                    13 years ago

                    That’s not the point. If he does impress enough in the minor leagues (which is possible considering the numbers he posted last season), he has a chance of getting called up. There’s only one way that scenario is going to end and it’s not good.

                    Not that I really care. As long as he never wears a Mets uniform again, I’m ecstatic.

                    Reply
          • m4r1n3r

            13 years ago

            This isn’t a very good rebuttal.

            Reply
      • PennMariner

        13 years ago

        There’s a difference between not being worth the 36 million dollars he got and not being worth a minor league contract. Clearly, you’re struggling to understand the difference.

        Reply
        • Benny

          13 years ago

          Clearly you don’t understand my statement. He WASN’T (Past Tense) worth the $36 mil he received, and he DOESN’T (Present Tense) deserve the minor league contract he just got.

          Reply
          • Ichiroll

            13 years ago

            Minor League contracts are of no risk to ANY team. That’s the part you’re not understanding.

            Reply
            • Benny

              13 years ago

              Risk? NO

              Cost Money? Yes.

              It’s a waste of money!!!

              Why not sign Owings?

              Reply
          • PennMariner

            13 years ago

            Nope. I understood. However, what I am failing to understand is how you can manage to be so exceedingly reactionary and bitter about a minor league depth signing that your team didn’t even make. The Mariners aren’t hurting themselves in the slightest by stashing him in Tacoma’s rotation. Get over it already.

            Reply
            • Benny

              13 years ago

              You are the one making it into a bigger deal. I didn’t make one comment towards you. I basically commented my opinion and you responded to it. I didn’t ask you to respond to it, or did I?

              Reply
              • disadvantage 2

                13 years ago

                ” I basically commented my opinion and you responded to it.” Uhhh… that’s how commenting works.

                And I can understand you’re bitter about Perez’s failure of a contract for your Mets, but to act as though Ollie is the worst player ever and doesn’t deserve to play ever again, even on a Minor League contract is downright ignorant.

                Will he ever regain his 2004 form? No… But for what it’s worth, after 2005 he went on to have two miserable seasons before having an otherwise above average season for your Mets in 2007, showing he does have the propensity to come back and be a respectable pitcher. At worst, he falls apart and the team releases him.

                Reply
                • Benny

                  13 years ago

                  Ummm…no that’s not how it works. The point of this feature is to post your reaction to what the thread is about. You have a choice of reading and replying to the other comments posted.

                  Reply
                  • disadvantage 2

                    13 years ago

                    It’s a discussion board, hence why the company calls itself “Disqus”. So if you post an outrageous opinion, people will comment back (as you did with Ichiroll). That IS how it works…

                    Reply
                    • Benny

                      13 years ago

                      Oh my bad I thought this was mlb trade rumors and disqus was just the commenting feature they used. I guess not. Last time I checked this website is for people to check the latest rumors in MLB, didn’t know this was a discussion board. Now I know, thanks.

                      Reply
  20. KeithLawSucksInStl

    13 years ago

    I thought I remembered who this guy was, went to YouTube, and laughed when I finally remembered.

    Reply
  21. $3828999

    13 years ago

    Dudes – It’s an invitation to spring training.  The team (in this case the M’s) is like your buddy who is 45, divorced and has partial custody of the 3 kids.  It’s kind of pointless to criticize him when he wants to ask out the 38 year old who was pretty hot once and is still moderately attractive.  You know she’s past her prime but, hell, your track record hasn’t been so great lately either.  Maybe something clicks and she finds her way into your hot tub.  If not, you go your separate ways and lament not the modest dinner and bar tab, never expecting she was the girl of your dreams worthy of a long-term relationship.       

    Reply
    • $3513744

      13 years ago

      Well geez, when you put it that way…

      Reply
  22. Popfly

    13 years ago

    Say it isn’t so.

    Reply
  23. MB923

    13 years ago

    Who needs Michael Pineda when you can get Oliver Perez

    Reply
    • nats2012

      13 years ago

      lol, I was just gonna type that.

      Reply
  24. zoinksscoob

    13 years ago

    Classic “trying to catch lightning in a bottle” signing here. Of course, this guy hasn’t generated anything but a blip of static in the last 3 years, but hey, it’s a minor league deal. If he sucks, you jettison him with no real damage done. The hope probably is, Perez holds down the #5 spot as a league-average pitcher until Hultzen is ready, keeping his service time down, saving the M’s some money down the line. Anything more would be the bonus plan.

    Reply
    • icedrake523

      13 years ago

      Oliver Perez couldn’t even generate a static charge.

      Reply
  25. Patrick the Pragmatist

    13 years ago

    What does it hurt?  If he sucks it is not as though they are paying a ton of money or traded a blue chip player to get him.

    Reply
  26. Alexis Manriquez

    13 years ago

    His number in Mexico
    0-2 0.63 ERA 14.1 IP 8 H 2 R 1 ER 8 BB 19 K 1.12 WHIP .157 AVG

    He was used as a lefty specialist most of the time

    Reply
  27. Eric Dixon

    13 years ago

    I would rather see Charlie Furbush in the number 5 spot (and I really don’t want to see him start games) than see Oliver Perez start games for the 2012 Seattle Mariners. That said, this is a minor league signing. He will likely provide pitching depth at AAA Tacoma.

    Reply
    • jamison_m

      13 years ago

      Hell, I’d rather see Luke French… that said, I don’t think Perez will see any time with the big league club this season unless the bullpen is ravaged with injuries and they get desperate…

      Reply
  28. harmony55

    13 years ago

    I witnessed Oliver Perez win his MLB debut against Jamie Moyer and the Seattle Mariners on Father’s Day 2002 at San Diego’s old Qualcomm Stadium in a matchup of two lefthanders who agreed to minor league contracts on Wednesday.

    Perez should have little trouble meeting low expectations.

    Reply
  29. formerdraftpick 2

    13 years ago

    Good luck Ollie!  I hope he gets things sorted out and can pitch like he once did.  

    Reply
  30. Sean Szekely

    13 years ago

    As bad as Ollie was in the last three years, I can’t say the Mariners are making a bad move. Minor League Deals are cheap, and won’t have any relevant impact on the team if Perez doesn’t break camp as a Mariner. This deal really has little to no risk. Worst case scenario, Perez plays the season in Triple A and gives the Mariners extra options, best case, he is a productive member of the M’s rotation. Just ask the Yankees how well Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia went last year. You never know with these type of deals.

    Reply
    • disadvantage 2

      13 years ago

      Well said. I think the people saying “OMGZ OLLIE IZ TEH SUCKZ” fail to realize that he was on a Minor League contract last year, pitched respectably, but stayed in the Minors. Just because the Mets hosed themselves with his contract, doesn’t mean he should never play baseball for the rest of his life…

      Reply
      • Sean Szekely

        13 years ago

        Exactly. Ollie didn’t force the Mets to pay him such a ridiculous contract. He just did what any of us would, he took the money.

        Reply
  31. bigsweens38

    13 years ago

    what a waste,this kid had real talent.

    Reply
  32. mr mojo risin

    13 years ago

    most pathetic player ever

    Reply
    • disadvantage 2

      13 years ago

      How so? In 2004 he had a 2.98 ERA with 11 SO/9. Regardless of how his career has gone since then, I’d struggle to call ANY player who can “the most pathetic player ever.”

      Reply
  33. mr mojo risin

    13 years ago

    most pathetic player ever

    Reply
  34. sheagoodbye

    13 years ago

    The guy is worse than a migraine on steroids.

    I can’t fault the Mariners for looking at his numbers and taking a chance on him, but there is NO chance that he amounts to anything even remotely useful. If he does see big league action, God help him. Correction: God help Mariner’s fans.

    Reply
  35. johnrhee

    13 years ago

    Don’t mind the Mariners trading away some minor league pitching prospects like Chris Hultzen, James Paxton, and Erasmus Ramirez for some hitting since free agency may not work out for the M’s. There’s a future prospect in college baseball named Mark Appel, 6 foot 5 inches, throws 97 mph 4-seam fastball, 95 mph 2-seam fastball, and top notch velocity who can be ready to pitch w/ Felix Hernandez and pitching staff as he’s a future number 1 starter. I know baseball draft is not as big as basketball and football – this year is the way to go on replacing some pitching prospects via the draft. 

    Reply

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