In a move that was somewhat expected, the Pittsburgh Pirates have traded left-handed pitcher Martin Perez. The one-year rental goes to the San Diego Padres, with DSL left-handed pitcher Ronaldys Jimenez as the return in the deal. The move was reported by Francys Romero.
Perez was signed to a one-year, $8 million deal to help boost the Pirates’ rotation. He had a strong April, but hasn’t pitched as well since then, and spent some time on the injured list. With the emergence of rookies Paul Skenes and Jared Jones, plus the recent emergence of Luis Ortiz in the absence of Perez, the Pirates no longer needed the left-hander.
The most significant part of this deal is the savings the Pirates will get. They previously traded for super utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa and outfielder Bryan De La Cruz. The remaining 2024 salary for Perez was enough to offset those two salaries. The Pirates also don’t lose anything at the Major League level outside of rotation depth, which they have plenty of at the moment.
Ronaldys Jimenez was signed by the Padres last June, and made three starts this year in the DSL. The 5′ 11″, 165 pound lefty had a 1.50 ERA in six innings during those starts, striking out eight. He’s a low-level lottery ticket, with this deal being more about the financial savings in dealing a player the Pirates didn’t need.
UPDATE 6:36 PM: The Pirates have officially announced the move.
UPDATE 9:07 PM: Dejan Kovacevic reports the Pirates are paying half of Perez’s salary, as their scouts wanted Jimenez.
