Veteran Reliever Opts to Become Free Agent After Struggling With Nationals
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The bullpen for the Washington Nationals continues to change.
Ahead of Saturday's matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers, it was revealed that left-handed pitcher Cionel Perez had been outrighted to Triple-A Rochester while right-handed reliever Orlando Ribalta was recalled to take his place.
The hope was that Perez would be able to work on some things in the minors and become a key piece of this relief staff over the remainder of the season. However, that is no longer going to be the case. Per an announcement by the team, the Nationals revealed that Perez opted to become a free agent instead of accepting his outright assignment.
Buying Low on Cionel Perez Did Not Work for Nationals
On Feb. 14, Washington took a shot on Perez when they signed him to a minor league deal. It was a low-risk, high-reward addition to their spring training camp since it wouldn't have cost the team a ton if they had to part ways with him before the season started.
But Perez performed well, and he secured a spot on the Opening Day roster. And at that time, it seemed like the gamble might have paid off for the Nationals after they bought low on the 30-year-old coming off two seasons with the Baltimore Orioles where he struggled.
Unfortunately, Perez's performance in the spring didn't carry over into the 2026 campaign. When he was outrighted to Rochester, he had an ERA of 6.19 across 16 appearances. He also had recorded just nine strikeouts compared to 11 walks across 16 innings pitched, which was a major reason for his struggles.
Addition by subtraction could happen for Washington, as Perez was not getting the job done and his departure now opens up the door for others to potentially have success.
Nationals Still Have Multiple Left-Handed Options in Their Bullpen
Manager Blake Butera likes to have matchup-specific arms in his bullpen. While losing Perez does reduce the amount of lefties Washington has at their disposal, the Nationals still have three on their roster by way of PJ Poulin, Mitchell Parker and Richard Lovelady.
The latter just recorded his first save for the team, so if he continues to pitch the way he has for Washington, he could be used in more high-leverage spots in place of Perez. As for both Poulin and Parker, their roles likely won't change much following this departure. Poulin has been the team's Swiss Army Knife. He's been used as the opener of games on multiple occasions and has also been thrown into leverage situations. Parker is a long reliever, and he's done a good job in that role.
Three left-handers should be enough for Butera to feel comfortable. Now, it's all about finding someone who can be consistent coming out of the bullpen in place of the departed Perez.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai