Oliver Perez

The veteran lefty just keeps going. In his 17th season in the majors, he threw 40.2 innings for the Indians, finishing with a very respectable 3.98 ERA. His peripherals back that number up, as both his 27.8 K% and 6.9 BB% were each comfortably better than league average. Perez's FIP has been better than average for seven of his last eight seasons, and he didn't show any signs of slowing down last year. His fantasy value has remained low despite the fact that he continues to hold down a job, however, as he's not really a candidate for saves, having recorded just four in his career. In a lower-leverage role, he doesn't provide all that much fantasy value, as he throws very few innings; he hasn't thrown more than 41 in any of the last five seasons, as he's been limited to LOOGY duty. The three-batter minimum may mean the premature end of Perez's career even though his talent remains.

Perez had a pretty typical year by his standards. The veteran lefty once again posted a double-digit strikeout rate (10.6 K/9) and reached double-digit holds for a fourth straight season. Walks were Perez's Achilles' heel during his days as a starter long ago, but he's been better in terms of limiting the free passes in recent years, with his BB/9 settling at 3.3 in 2017. While right-handed batters beat up on Perez early, he improved as the season wore on -- righties were hitting .321 against Perez at the All-Star break, but he trimmed that number down to .279 by the end of the campaign. He's still best utilized as a specialist given his splits. Currently a free agent, Perez should be able to find work and extend his major-league career into a 16th season.

After a couple of strong seasons as a situational lefty, Perez took a step back in 2016, with his walk rate shooting up to 11 percent, taking his ERA with it. At this stage of his career, the 35-year-old is exclusively a fastball-slider pitcher, but if he can tighten his control back up he still has a good enough strikeout rate to be effective. The Nationals have a number of younger southpaw bullpen options in their system, though, with Sammy Solis having already passed him on the depth chart, so Perez's days of seeing regular high-leverage work could be at an end.

Acquired by Houston via trade last August after a solid year-and-a-half in Arizona, Perez struggled with the Astros, going 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA over 22 appearances with the club. Between the D'Backs and Astros last season, the veteran southpaw made 70 appearances total with a 4.17 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 51:15 K:BB over 41 innings. Perez did maintain a strikeout rate (11.2 K/9) above 11.0 K/9 for the third consecutive season, however, and his 3.11 FIP suggests he was a bit unlucky. The 34-year-old will serve as a lefty specialist (.194 BAA in 2015) after signing a two-year, $7 million contract with Washington. The Nationals will try to balance his career 9.4 K/9 with his poor 4.9 BB/9 and keep him in favorable matchups.

A decade ago, Perez was one of the most promising young left-handed starters in the game. Bouts of poor control became the norm, but his full-time conversion to the bullpen in 2012 has been a second wind for his career. For the second straight season, Perez carried a strikeout rate north of 10.0 K/9, while his walk rate dipped to a very respectable 9.4%. Lefties managed to hit .381 on balls in play against Perez last season, but he's definitely more proficient in lefty-lefty matchups (29.3% K%, 5.7% BB%). Righties scuffled against him in 2014, hitting just .180/.306/.296 against Perez after he was tagged for a .254/.323/.463 mark by them in 2013. He'll be back for the second season of a two-year deal in Arizona, but Perez will be a midseason trade target for teams seeking left-handed bullpen help if the Diamondbacks are sellers in July.

Perez pitched well in mostly late-inning relief for the Mariners last season. His 3.74 ERA was inflated by a four-game mid-summer rough patch and a six-spot against the Rangers in August. Take out those five outings and his ERA drops to 1.64 on the year. Perez issued a few more walks last season than in 2012, but he again stranded about 75 percent of his inherited runners. The left-hander was considered for saves after Tom Wilhelmsen imploded, but the Mariners were content to keep him in his role. Look for Perez to have a similar role again in 2014.

Control issues derailed Perez's career, and it didn't look like much had changed after he walked 19 batters in 31 innings at Triple-A Tacoma last year before the Mariners called him up. But with the Seattle he had few such problems, walking eight unintentionally in 29.2 innings. At one point, he went more than two months without allowing a run, and he stranded 69 percent of his inherited runnners (20-of-29). He'll return to his lefty bullpen role after signing a one-year deal in November.

Perez did little to endear himself to Mets fans suffering through another poor season. He refused to go to the minors to work through his issues before finally landing on the DL with "knee tendinitis." Perez was out for more than two months, and after returning, he became the de-facto blowout pitcher, seeing minimal action. The Mets would love to rid themselves of the $12 million remaining in the last year of his contract, but look for Perez to be in camp with the team and possibly be a deep lefty out of the bullpen.

Perez signed a three-year, $36 million contract prior to the 2009 season and subsequently suffered through a horrific year. He was bothered nearly all season by his right knee, which required September surgery to remove scar tissue from the patella tendon. That injury hampered his velocity and diminished his already questionable control. Perez had been able to throw strikes early in games, but the tendinitis prevented him from having the delay in his delivery, impacting the control and limiting his velocity. Perez is expected to be ready for spring training and could open the year in the Mets' rotation, depending on the team's offseason changes. You know the drill with Perez, so be prepared to whittle your fingernails down to a nub when he is on the hill.

Perez finished 2008, 10-7 with a 4.22 ERA and 1.40 WHIP, which was a substantial drop from 2007, when he went 15-10 with a 3.56 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. The big change in his WHIP was due to his poor control, as he walked 26 more in 17 more innings in 2008 plus he was frequently behind in the count, forcing him at times to groove a pitch in the middle of the plate, resulting in the uptick in his ERA. When Perez has difficulties it is due to an inconsistent arm angle and release point, which make his pitches drift to the right and stay up in the zone. He is looking for a four- to five-year deal, worth somewhere between $12-15 million per, and is represented by agent Scott Boras, which is likely too much for management's liking, but the Mets otherwise have only three established starters -- Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey and John Maine -- under their control. Regardless of where he ends up, Perez will be a middle of the rotation starter, who will have spurts of brilliance combined with ones that make you tear your hair out.

Perez took strides in resurrecting his career, building off his playoff success in 2006, to look more like the dominant pitcher he was in 2004 than the one who struggled thereafter. He can still be maddeningly inconsistent, and his key is to throw with a consistent arm angle and release point, which allows all the pieces to come together. When Perez struggles, bad mechanics make his pitches to drift to the right and stay up in the zone. Perez was dominant in May and June, then missed two weeks with a stiff back and struggled down the stretch, but that might have slightly been due to fatigue as this was his first full season since 2004. When he is on, Perez possess a nasty fastball-changeup-slider combination that keeps hitters off balance and is penciled in as the team's No. 3 starter heading into the season.

Perez's maddening inconsistency resulted in the Pirates giving up on him after he struggled the first half of 2006 on the heels of his poor 2005, making his breakthrough 2004 campaign look like a fluke. Pittsburgh dealt him to New York at the trading deadline in the Xavier Nady trade and he displayed just enough in his stint during the regular and postseason with the Mets to show why young left-handed starters continue to get chances at sticking in the majors. When he is on, Perez possess a nasty fastball-changeup-slider combination that keeps hitters offbalance, but he just as easily, and more often than not, struggles with his command leading to runners on base and meatball pitches in the center of the plate. Perez is a high-risk, possible high-reward option that might get a shot at filling one of the back-end spots in the Mets rotation.

Perez is probably just glad the 2005 season is in the rear-view mirror. After an amazing 2004 campaign in which Perez went 12-10 with a 2.98 ERA and 239 strikeouts, he tantalized fantasy owners with what might lie ahead in 2005. Unfortunately for both Perez and his owners, he slumped to a 7-5 mark with an earned run average that nearly doubled to 5.85. Surprisingly, the Pirates won 13 of Perez's 20 starts last year. While the team is counting on a big rebound season by the 24-year-old lefty, it might be wise to project his numbers somewhere in the middle of his last two seasons. That is, of course, assuming he doesn't get into any fights with laundry carts in St. Louis.

Blessed with an electric arm, Perez harnessed his stuff in a big way in 2004 and finished 12-10 with a 2.98 ERA and 239/81 K/BB ratio in 196 innings pitched, erasing any questions about his command. The lefty led MLB starters with 10.97 strikeouts per nine innings. At 23, the future is bright for Perez, who was one of fantasy baseball's most pleasant surprises last season. He’s not going to sneak up on anyone in 2005, so he will certainly be a hot commodity when your drafts/auctions roll around. With a bit more offensive support, Perez could easily rack up a few more wins. If he does, you are looking at an elite fantasy pitcher.

The young lefty, who was the key player obtained in the Brian Giles trade last year, has an electric arm, but he needs to improve his command (77 walks in 126.2 innings) before he can make the leap to the next level. On the plus side, Perez whiffed 141 batters last year, and is a threat to record double-digit strikeouts every time out. He's high-risk, high-upside, but on the perennially rebuilding Bucs, he'll be given every opportunity to prove himself right away.

Perez has improved his numbers at each stop in the chain. He's always recorded high strikeout totals -- 287 strikeouts in 250 career minor league innings -- and in his first major league season, that trend continued. As Perez learns to make better situational pitches, his home run total should drop (he gave us 13 jacks in 90 big league innings) and so too should his overall numbers. That's scary when you consider he posted a 3.50 ERA as a 21-year old rookie.