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By now, we all know what happened with Odalis Perez this offseason with the Nationals (if you need a refresher, click here), but what I cannot figure out is what happened to Odalis Perez. Here is a guy who went 7-12 with a 4.34 ERA with the last place Washington Nationals last season, numbers that should have him pitching in the majors this season.But for some reason, no one has taken a chance on Perez.
Well actually, that's not 100% true. As I mentioned before, the Nationals did sign Perez to a minor league contract in February, but Perez refused to report to camp because he thought that he could do better on the open market. It was reported in November that Perez had offers on the table from the Yankees, White Sox, and Nationals.
Are teams trying to make a statement against Perez that going against contracts (including minor league deals) is not acceptable and therefore, no one has seriously looked to sign him? Doubtful, but cannot be ruled out.
Did Perez's antics with the Nationals scare off potential suitors? Perhaps.
Or maybe, teams are wary of giving Perez a major league contract even though his performance last season was certainly worthy of at least an offer. Likely.
I dunno what's going on, but since the WBC began, I have not heard anything on the Perez front. Shouldn't the Indians, White Sox, or Astros at least take a look at Perez? All I know is that if Livan Hernandez, Sidney Ponson, Russ Ortiz, Adam Eaton, and Mike Hampton can find work, then there is no reason why Odalis Perez should not at least get the opportunity to strut his stuff with another team, even if he is nothing more than a fourth starter.
And who knows, maybe in a month or two Perez will have a job and make an impact for a team down the stretch. But for now, the lack of information or even whispers is strange, don't cha' think?
1 comment:
Nice story. I agree 100%. Look at his innings the last several years. The Nationals insulted him with a minor league contract. They did the same to him last year and he proved them worthy to start OPENING DAY. As far as the "contract" fiasco goes, he did NOT sign a contract and go back on his word. The two parties had only "agreed to terms" for the deal. Nothing was ever signed. So technically, he did nothing wrong. In the big leagues, "agreeing to terms" and "signing a contract" are two very different things. He'll be back. A lefty that has a low 90's fastball and one of the league's best change-ups is a VERY valuable commodity. Who cares about antics...only what happens on the mound counts.
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