Pittsburgh Pirates News: Martin Perez Signing Official

The Pittsburgh Pirates have added a seasoned arm to their pitching rotation, officially announcing the signing of veteran starter Martin Perez. This move brings a wealth of experience and stability to the team's pitching staff, providing a veteran presence and an innings eater hopefully. The deal is for 1 year and will be worth $8 million.

Perez, known for his consistency and ability to eat innings, brings a veteran presence that is crucial for a team looking to make significant strides in 2024. A team that headed into the offseason needing to add starting pitching has now added Perez and Marcos Gonzales. While these two additions are solid, the Pittsburgh Pirates still have some work to do for the rotation.

In 2023 Martin Perez posted solid numbers overall. The lefty pitched for the Texas Rangers and was a part of that team's World Series run. He posted a modest 4.45 ERA in 140 innings of work which goes right along with his career ERA of 4.44. The soon-to-be 33-year-old has been a part of three postseason runs including 2 with the Rangers and with the Red Sox in 2021.

One thing that stands out about Martin Perez is his ability to induce groundballs. This past year he did so at a 45% clip, which is solid. However, in 2022 he was getting groundballs at a 50% rate which led to him being an all-star that season. Perez posted a 2.89 ERA in 191 innings of work in 2022 for the Rangers.

To make room for the veteran lefty the Pittsburgh Pirates announced that right-handed pitcher Max Kranick was designated for assignment.

The 26 year old righty had Tommy John Surgery about mid-way through the 2022 season. With a career ERA of 5.56, it made sense for him to be the one to go. There is a good chance that he slips through waivers given his lack of major league work and production.