The Cubs signed a veteran catcher Carlos Pérez to a minor league deal, according to the trade tracker on Pérez’s MLB.com profile page. The deal likely includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training.
Pérez, 34, is not to be confused with his younger brother and fellow hunter Carlos Pérezcurrently a free agent but played parts of two MLB seasons with the White Sox. The elder Pérez signed with the Blue Jays out of Venezuela before making his debut in 2008 and has spent five seasons in the majors since then. A highly regarded defensive catcher, Pérez made his major league debut with the Angels back in 2015 but slashed .224/.267/.332 (64 wRC+) in 595 plate appearances in 184 games and three seasons. Anaheim. Pérez split the 2018 season between the Braves and Rangers but made it to just 28 games while posting a horrendous wRC+ of 4 in 75 trips to the plate.
After a lackluster 2018, Pérez bounced between the Orioles, A’s, and Rockies systems over the years before resurfacing in the majors last year at age 32. The 2023 campaign was arguably the best of Pérez’s career as Oakland’s. basic copy on the back Shea Langeliers. His .226/.293/.357 line in 68 games for the A’s was below the league average (83 wRC+) overall but roughly in line with expectations relative to a typical big league backup. Pérez returned to the A’s on a minor league contract last winter but did not end up cracking the club’s big league roster this year despite hitting well in Triple-A. In 112 games with the Las Vegas club, Pérez hit a solid .260/.344/.544 with 27 homers and 27 doubles. Those numbers are boosted by the Pacific Coast League’s offense-friendly zone, but even when adjusted for that zone they’re still good at a 114 wRC+ level.
Pérez opted into minor league free agency last month in search of greener pastures, which he appears to have found in Chicago. The Cubs seem especially at the big league level with the catch tandem Carson Kelly again Miguel Amayabut it’s possible that Pérez could be the next man up if he gets hurt, and gets a big league opportunity like this one. Christian Bethancourt again Tomás Nido I met the group last year. From Chicago’s perspective, on the other hand, Pérez provides a non-system depth option behind the plate who can also serve as a mentor to young pitchers at the Triple-A level such as Late Horton and a high chance of group fishing, Moisés Ballesteros. Ballesteros reached Triple-A at just 20 years old last year on the strength of his exciting bat, but his defensive ability is questionable and it’s unclear if he’ll be able to stick around after the big game.
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