Could Texas Rangers Lose Martin Perez in Free Agency?

Martin Perez, already halfway to matching last season's win total, is predicted to be one of the most coveted free agents.
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The Texas Rangers don’t have many key free agents after this season, but one is considered among the top in baseball and figures to get plenty of attention on the open market.

The Athletic released its initial rankings of the top 25 potential free agents and Martín Pérez made the cut. The lefty pitcher was No. 17 on the list.

Shohei Ohtani is, naturally, No. 1. The Rangers are considered a dark-horse candidate to sign the Los Angeles Angeles two-way star in an ESPN poll of baseball insiders.

Pérez signed a $19.65 qualifying offer with the Rangers after briefly testing free agency last offseason. If the Rangers were interested to see if Pérez could back up his stellar 2022, they haven’t been disappointed.

Pérez is already 6-1 with a 3.83 ERA this season in 10 starts. He’s struck out 41 and walked 16. Only Nathan Eovaldi (6-2) has as many wins on the Rangers staff as Pérez.

Both are tied for fourth-most in baseball. Only Tampa Bay Rays’ Shane McClanahan (eight) and Zach Elfin (seven), and Minnesota Twins’ Joe Ryan (seven) have more.

Pérez figures to be in line for a significant raise on a multi-year deal after this season. 

He re-signed with the Rangers before the start of the 2022 season and emerged as an All-Star for the first time, going 12-8 with a 2.89 ERA in 32 starts.

He also pitched for the Venezuelan National Team in the World Baseball Classic.

Before last season, he won 10 or more games in four separate seasons and had a career-high 13 wins in 2017 with the Rangers. He was sixth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2013.

The Rangers (31-18) open a three-game series Friday night (6:05 p.m. CT) at the Baltimore Orioles. Jon Gray (4-1, 3.02) is scheduled to start for Texas, with Grayson Rodriguez (2-1, 6.21) going for Baltimore. The Orioles took two of three when the teams met in Arlington in early April.

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Matthew Postins
MATTHEW POSTINS

Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers the Texas Rangers for On SI and also writes about the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. He also covers the Big 12 for HeartlandCollegeSports.com.