The Cincinnati Reds acquired right-handed pitcher Héctor Pérez in an exchange with the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday afternoon. The team has announced that it will send a player to be named later or money to complete the deal.
Héctor Pérez made his Major League debut this year with the Blue Jays. He launched just one game, allowing for two runs won in 1.2 innings. The now 24-year-old spent the entire 2019 season as a starting pitcher at Double-A New Hampshire, where he made 24 appearances, along with two relief appearances, playing 121.1 entries with 4.60 ERA, 67 walks and 117 eliminations.
Originally signed by Houston Astros, Héctor Pérez was negotiated with Toronto in the 2018 deadline along with Ken Giles and David Paulino in the deal that sent Roberto Osuna to Houston. He had entered that season as a potential Astros # 7, according to Baseball America. It has dropped somewhat in the ranking since that 2018 season, however. Pérez was ranked as the 19th Blue Jays candidate after the 2018 season and was not ranked after the 2019 season.
When he is at his best and throwing blows, Héctor Pérez can play 99 MPH with his fastball that he will mix with a potentially above average divider that works in the low to medium 80s. It will also show a slider in the 90 MPH range, but it has been inconsistent in its shape over the years.
With a track record or problems with control, it seems that Héctor Pérez is probably a better fit in the bullpen than in rotation, unless he advances his ability to deliver blows consistently. A more permanent move to the bullpen can allow it to take a little more speed on your fastball and take it from a throw that works in the mid-90s to one that works a little higher than that. There is also a chance that he could focus more on one of his two secondary offers, which could turn it (either) into a more consistent offer. The ability to find the attack zone still needs to improve a bit if he will succeed in the big league bullpen, but you can escape with less control as a reliever than as an initiator.
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