Former Nationals Reliever Signs Deal With Rival Mets

Per Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com, Perez signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets. That is an interesting landing spot for the veteran reliever. While the Mets are also in need of pitching help, and he likely will get a shot to stick on their MLB roster, his poor performance this season is the reason why the Nationals moved on from him in the first place. So it's not a given that he'll stick around in New York, either.

Still, there's a chance Washington will have to face their former bullpen arm at some point this year if he is able to hold onto a spot on their rival's roster. But to do that, Perez will need to perform much better than putting up the 6.19 ERA he had across 16 appearances with the Nationals.

Nationals' Offseason Pitching Additions Have Been Hit and Miss

Perez isn't the only offseason addition for Washington who has struggled thus far. For starters, Andre Granillo has now been optioned to Triple-A Rochester twice, as the trade to acquire him is looking more and more like a disaster. In addition to Granillo, starting pitchers Miles Mikolas and Zack Littell have both been disappointments. While it seems like that veteran duo might be turning the corner a bit, how they pitched during the first month was alarming. And while this is no fault of his own, Ken Waldichuk was placed on the 60-day IL with a forearm injury.

However, there were some solid additions that were made, too. Gus Varland has stepped into a high-leverage role well. Paxton Schultz has been a bright spot for the bullpen. And Foster Griffin has performed like the team's ace during the early going.

Hopefully, as the Nationals attempt to solidify their relief staff, they can find more positive performers like the latter three offseason additions that were highlighted instead of Perez and the others who haven't performed well.