Martin Perez Needs to 'Step Up' in Last Year of Texas Rangers Contract

Last season's ace, Martin Perez, has seen a definite drop in production during the first half of the season.

© Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Are we seeing the last of Martín Pérez with the Texas Rangers? While that remains to be seen, it’s clear the left-hander is having a down season compared to last year’s breakout.

Pérez is a more-than-respectable 7-3, which is third on the club in wins behind Nathan Eovaldi (10) and Dane Dunning (8). However, his ERA has gone up almost two points from 2022 and he’s gone more than 5.0 innings in just 10 of 18 starts.

Pérez went 12-8 last season with a 2.89 ERA, earning an All-Star berth in an otherwise forgettable season for the Rangers. He returned this year on a one-year contract for $19.7 million, despite being in position to secure a long-term deal.

That deal may come elsewhere regardless of how Pérez finishes this season. Pitching is always a premium, so perhaps the Venezuelan can change some minds in the front office down as the Rangers make their postseason push.

MLB.com recently compiled a list of 12 players who have struggled so far and need to “step up” in the second half. Pérez made the list, with the following breakdown:

What’s gone wrong: Like (Sandy) Alcantara, Pérez has seen a massive spike in his ERA – from 2.89 in 2022 to 4.84 this season. His strikeout rate has decreased 6 percentage points, dropping to the fourth percentile among MLB pitchers, and a sinker that produced solid results last season is getting hit hard in 2023.

Looking ahead: With the additions of Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney, Pérez doesn’t have to shoulder as much of the load in the Rangers’ rotation. Still, Texas would like to get more production out of the veteran left-hander as the AL West race with the Astros continues.

Perez made his last start Sunday, going five innings and allowing three runs as Texas rallied for a 6-5 win over the Cleveland Guardians.

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