Rangers, Martin Perez 'Not Close' On Contract: Report

The Texas Rangers are running out of time to work out a deal or to extend Martin Perez a qualifying offer, which is close the $20 million.

The Texas Rangers and pitcher Martín Pérez reportedly don’t have a long-term deal done before qualifying offers are due Thursday.

MLB Network reported that the two parties “aren’t close to agreeing on a multi-year deal,” citing sources.

If a deal doesn’t get done, the report noted that the Rangers are likely to make Pérez a qualifying offer. That offer wouldn’t bind him to the Rangers for 2023. Rather, it would allow the Rangers to get draft pick compensation if Pérez signs a deal elsewhere.

The qualifying offer for this offseason is $19.65 million. The Rangers would have to make that offer by Thursday.

The Rangers and Pérez have been negotiating since the end of the season. Pérez and Rangers general manager Chris Young both have said they want a longer-term deal.

Young noted the Rangers’ desire at his final press conference of the season. The Rangers have made it clear for months that they want Pérez back for 2023. Pérez has expressed his desire to return on multiple occasions.

“Martín has been a tremendous leader, a tremendous competitor and has tremendous work ethic,” Young said. “The way he prepared day in and day out. He took the ball every day he was supposed to and I can’t say enough about the season he had and we are very intent on bringing him back.”

Pérez, who broke in with Texas in 2012 and played there for his first eight seasons, returned on a one-year, $4 million deal in 2022 and ended up becoming the Rangers ace. He went 12-8 with a 2.89 ERA, the latter among the best in the American League. He threw 196 1/3 innings, just two off his career high. He did have a career-high 169 strikeouts. He also made the All-Star team for the first time.

While he was consistent all season, his May was something to remember, as he earned both Rangers Player of the Month and American League Pitcher of the Month honors.

Pérez went 4-0 with an 0.64 ERA (three earned runs in 42 1/3 innings) in six starts in May, and the Rangers were 6-0 in those outings. It was the second-lowest ERA in club history for any month by a Texas pitcher with at least five starts (Yovani Gallardo, 0.54 in June 2015).

As part of that, in an eight-start stretch from April 23 to May 31, Pérez went undefeated with six or more innings in each outing while allowing no home runs and no more than one earned run in each start. According to STATS LLC, the only other pitchers to compile those statistics over an eight-start span since earned runs became an official statistic in 1913 are Hall of Famers Walter Johnson (1913-14) and Bob Gibson (1968).

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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