The Chicago White Sox have reached an agreement with left-hander Martín Pérez, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. The deal is a one-year contract worth $5 million, per José F. Rivera of ESPN. With the addition, the White Sox will have a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move once the deal is finalized.
Free-agent pitcher Martin Pérez and the Chicago White Sox are in agreement on a contract, pending physical, according to sources familiar with the deal.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) January 8, 2025
White Sox to Sign Martín Pérez
A former top prospect, Pérez was signed by the Texas Rangers as an undrafted free agent. He made his major league debut in 2012, cracking the Rangers starting rotation the following year. Pérez finished sixth in American League Rookie of the Year voting. He made 20 starts in 2013, pitching to a 3.62 ERA, while striking out 84 over 124 1/3 innings the following season. His strong rookie campaign earned him a four-year, $12.5 million contract extension, keeping him under team control through 2020. Pérez struggled to regain his command after undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery in 2014. That ultimately led the Rangers to decline his club option for 2019.
After splitting three seasons between Minnesota and Boston, Pérez returned to Texas and made his first All-Star Game in 2022. Coming off of a career-best year, he accepted a one-year qualifying offer to return to the Rangers in 2023 and won his first World Series championship. Two months after winning the World Series, the 33-year-old southpaw signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Pérez made 16 starts with a 5.20 ERA and 63 strikeouts before being traded to the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline. In 10 starts, Pérez recorded an improved 3.86 ERA with a 20.3% strikeout percentage through 52 innings pitched.
While his six-pitch repertoire does not elicit many strikeouts, it does induce a ground ball percentage well above league average. Primarily a starter, Pérez has 45 career relief appearances giving Chicago the option to use the All-Star southpaw as either a starter or a swingman.
Main Photo: © Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
