Blue Jays trade right-hander Hector Perez to Cincinnati

As per the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday afternoon, they have traded 24-year old right handed pitcher Hector Perez to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for either cash considerations or a player to be named later.

Perez was the last remaining piece in the Toronto Blue Jays organization from the Roberto Osuna trade dating back to July 2018.  Perez came over in the trade alongside David Paulino and Ken Giles for Osuna.  Both Giles and Paulino have had their careers derailed due to injuries as Giles has just had Tommy John surgery, while Paulino had an undisclosed injury that kept him out for all of 2020.  Both lost their positions in Toronto because of injuries, albeit Giles was becoming a free agent around the time of the surgery.

When Perez joined the Blue Jays in 2018, he immediately reported to New Hampshire Fisher Cats where he was put into the starting rotation for the remainder of the 2018 and all of the 2019 season.  This past September he made his major league debut in a blowout loss to the New York Yankees.  Perez started the seventh inning after Tanner Roark had allowed six runs in four innings and Jacob Waguespack allowed five runs in two innings.  Perez was not able to make things better as he gave up three walks and three hits including a two run home run to Kyle Higashioka.

The Reds will be getting a starting pitching prospect that will likely end up in the bullpen and has had his fastball clocked as high as 97mph.  Perez was once rated as high as the #7 prospect in the Houston Astros organization, but has fallen since he is now shifted to more of a bullpen arm than a starting pitcher.  Cincinnati took advantage of the Blue Jays as they would have had to DFA Perez due limited room on the 40-man roster due to the recent signings of George Springer, Tyler Chatwood and Kirby Yates.

In joining the Cincinnati, Perez should stand a good chance of breaking camp with the big club out of Spring Training, where he would not have had much chance in Toronto.