Martin Perez has spent each of the past two MLB seasons with the Boston Red Sox, but he’s currently a free agent.
He didn’t sign anywhere before the lockout went into effect.
In recent years, the southpaw has displayed his ability to eat innings and provide somewhat decent results.
He certainly hasn’t been dominant or flashy, but he has shown that he can produce roughly league-average results as a back-of-the-rotation pitcher or long-innings reliever.
As a result, he’ll likely find a home this offseason.
But where?
Is there any need for Boston to bring him back?
Or his time wearing a Red Sox uniform over?
Let’s take a look.
Perez’s Last 2 Seasons At A Glance
The pandemic-shortened 2020 season was Perez’s first with the Red Sox, and he was a fine back-of-the-rotation arm.
Unfortunately, Boston’s rotation was in shambles and seemingly consisted solely of back-of-the-rotation arms.
Martin Pérez is one of those guys where if he's your #5 starter, that's pretty good. If he's your #3 starter, that's pretty bad. And if he's your #1 starter, you're the 2020 Red Sox.
— Michael Dyer (@Mike_Dyer13) September 8, 2020
He posted a 4.50 ERA and 107 ERA+ over 12 starts.
He earned a bWAR of 1.1 along the way, meaning that he would have been on pace to total a bWAR of roughly 3.0 over a traditional 162-game season.
Nothing wrong with that.
He showed enough for the Red Sox to want to give him another shot in 2021.
The club re-signed to a one-year deal for the 2021 season with a club option for 2022.
This time around, things went a little less great.
He started the season in the rotation before getting moved to the bullpen in August.
Over 22 outings as a starter, he registered a mediocre 4.77 ERA and 4.91 FIP.
Over 14 appearances as a reliever, he put up a 4.50 ERA and 4.17 FIP.
He finished the year with an overall ERA of 4.74, ERA+ of 100, FIP of 4.82, and WHIP of 1.51.
Across both of those seasons with the Red Sox, he totaled a 4.65 ERA, 102 ERA+, and 4.84 FIP.
Again, not exactly pretty, but not awful.
About average.
After the 2021 season ended, Boston declined his option for 2022.
Martin Perez $6M option declined by Red Sox. 500K buyout paid.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 7, 2021
There’s a home for a guy like Perez on some MLB teams in need of a No. 5 starter or long-innings reliever.
But based on the moves the Red Sox have made so far this offseason, they might not fit that description.
Boston’s Free-Agent Signings: What Do They Mean For Perez?
Before the lockout went into effect, the Red Sox signed a handful of pitchers to deals.
After losing Eduardo Rodriguez, the team had some serious work to do in free agency.
Rather than replacing Rodriguez with just one guy, the Red Sox signed a few different pitchers.
They inked Michael Wacha, James Paxton, and Rich Hill to deals.
All of those guys are capable of playing the role that Perez did in 2021, which is to eat innings in the rotation or bullpen.
For that reason, it definitely seems like the Perez era is over in Boston.
The team doesn’t need an overload of arms that all essentially fill the same need.
Perez’s time with the Red Sox was fine while it lasted from a results standpoint, and as mentioned earlier, the lefty will likely land on an MLB roster in 2022.
Whatever roster that is, however, it seems safe to assume at this point that it won’t be Boston’s.
NEXT: Will Red Sox Re-Sign Adam Ottavino This Offseason?
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