The Houston Astros Acquire Lefty Oliver Perez from Arizona

When the Houston Astros designated Joe Thatcher for assignment, they were left with only one lefty in the bullpen, Tony Sipp. Sipp does not have the same zip on his fastball that he did last year but has been pretty consistent this season. The Astros have other options at Triple-A in Kevin Chapman and Luis Cruz, but Cruz is viewed as a starter and Chapman struggles with command.

The Astros didn’t have an option ready in-house, so they sought out Oliver Perez, who cleared waivers, from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The trade was announced following the Astros game late Friday night, with Arizona beat writer Jack Magruder reporting it first.

Following the Diamondbacks game, Perez was told that he was traded to Houston. At first it wasn’t known who the Astros traded for Perez, but it was assumed to be a minor leaguer. What was known, is that Perez was a great pitcher against lefties this year. From an Evan Drellich Tweet, “Oliver Perez vs. LH this year: .183/.234/.267. 22 Ks, 3 BBs.” This will give the Astros a second weapon against stacked left-handed lineups down the stretch.

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According to the Astros official handle’s Tweet, Perez will report to the Astros on Sunday. Perez will get on the 40-man roster by moving Sam Deduno to the 60-day DL. While Deduno is a nonfactor for the 2015 season, the Astros still see a potential for him in the future. However, if Deduno survives the offseason with the Astros after setting the 40-man roster prior to the Rule V draft, I will be surprised.

Who did the Astros give up in the trade? Perez is not a big name, but he still has value to a contender. Let’s check out Houston sports radio Adam Wexler’s Tweet after the trade was announced.

The Diamondbacks get 19-year-old Junior Garcia from the Tri-City Valley Cats. As you can see by Wexler’s Tweet above, Garcia was having a great season in the Astros Rookie Leagues. Garcia is probably a few years away, and not a top prospect, so to get a player with Perez’s ability will be huge down the stretch.

Perez is a free agent next year and intends on returning to Arizona next year. This is according to Magruder’s Tweet. This rental did not cost as much as the Kazmir trade did. Look forward to Perez pitching in the playoffs this year.

Update: Who gets the boot for Perez? My guess would be Asher Wojciechowski would be the logical choice.

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