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Latest NY Mets minor league signing has the one quality David Stearns can't resist

He has the one quality David Stearns can't resist.
Apr 25, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Cionel Perez (51) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
Apr 25, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Cionel Perez (51) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Whatever you feel about David Stearns, there’s no doubt the latest New York Mets minor league signing meets the standard he’s looking for. According to Francys Romero, the team has signed Cionel Perez to a minor league deal.

A 6.19 ERA with the Washington Nationals in 16 innings and as many appearances, the lefty 11 strikeouts vs. 9 walks is coming off of a poor yet abbreviated season with the Baltimore Orioles. He wrapped up last year with 21.2 major league innings and an 8.31 ERA.

What’s to like? As wild as he is, Perez has been a ground ball master in his 253 MLB innings.

Cionel Perez is another lefty reliever flier for the Mets whose ground ball rate is his biggest weapon

A 58.5% ground ball didn’t save Perez from getting knocked around. The heavy dose of walks didn’t help. Nor did giving up 2 home runs in such a short span.

Perez has been spectacular in the past, pitching to a 1.40 ERA with the Orioles in 2022. This came in 57.2 innings. He’s actually at a 4.34 ERA lifetime. It’s only in the last two seasons when things have completely fallen apart.

The Mets have had only one true left in the bullpen for a large part of the season with Sean Manaea relegated there due to a lack of trust in his starting abilities. David Peterson has recently joined him in more of a “bulk guy” role.

It’s only temporary as long as A.J. Minter returns. His rehab is underway. Perez isn’t taking anyone’s job or doing much more than occupying a roster spot in Syracuse where they’ve already gotten some strong performances out of Daniel Duarte as well as Dan Hammer and Anderson Severino. The latter each have a 0.00 ERA.

Perez is a “can we fix him?” type of pitcher. A 6.85 ERA in Triple-A last season tells us to keep our expectations low. Aside from killing some worms with his knack for achieving a high ground ball rate, a trip downstate to the Big Apple feels out of reach barring injuries or setbacks to current ones.

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