Cleveland inks lefty Oliver Perez for much needed bullpen help
By Zach Houle
Southpaw Oliver Perez will look to provide bullpen help for the Cleveland Indians.
The Cleveland Indians have one of the best starting rotations in the American League. Headed by right-hander Corey Kluber, the club has what it takes to be dominant in the postseason. With that said, the bullpen has been a problem for this team. Andrew Miller is having a down year, and the supporting cast is meh.
Cleveland ranks as the 21st best team pitching wise, mainly because the bullpen is bringing them down. Furthermore, they have a ton of arms with over a 6.00 ERA. Yikes, that won’t help go deep into the playoffs. Although the club is in first place, that’s not saying much considering the 28-30 Detroit Tigers are 2.5 games back.
The team has signed lefty Oliver Perez for bullpen reinforcement. He was a piece on the Washington Nationals last season, tossing a 4.64 ERA in 33 innings. The Nats had a terrible bullpen in the first half, just how the Indians are now. With that said, Cleveland is hoping they find magic in a bottle with the southpaw.
Perez has mostly been used as a lefty specialist, due to his deceptive delivery. Although, Cleveland may use him for both to experiment his durability. The lefty does have a few control issues, but when he’s on he strikes guys out at a decent clip. With Miller not at his best, hopefully the Indians get an additional lefty to pick up the slack in Oliver Perez.
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His 2018 projection is a 3.51 ERA throughout 27 games. That may point towards Perez coming in and getting an out or two before exiting. Overall, the Cleveland Indians are taking an upside play on the southpaw, who has shown flashes of being a dominant presence in the ‘pen. At this point, the club should look to try anything.