Trade Rumors: Oliver Perez Wants To Remain A Diamondback?
By Joseph Jacquez
Jul 13, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Oliver Perez (59) prepares to deliver a pitch against the San Francisco Giants in the seventh inning at AT&T Park. The Giants defeated the Diamondbacks 8-4. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The Non-Waiver Trade Deadline is 15 hours away and I couldn’t be more excited. This year is an advantage for a sellers, and it’s probably going to be a quiet deadline. The Rays, Red Sox, and Phillies could shake it up and make it an active deadline. The Diamondbacks have a lot of pieces on the market, but they will probably be pretty quiet.
This team made a move today, but it wasn’t a trade. The team signed Clayton Richard to a minor league deal, but that is no more than a minor move. The guy that many believe is the most expendable is left handed reliever Oliver Perez. The Braves have been the team most linked to him, but it now appears that Perez will probably stay in Arizona.
Jim Bowden, who is an MLB Insider for ESPN tweeted this yesterday afternoon:
Oliver Perez just told us that he prefers not to be traded because he makes his home year round in Arizona #Nationals #Braves #Diamondbacks
— Jim Bowden⚾️ (@JimBowdenGM) July 29, 2014
Bowden is very reliable, and most people in the industry trust his sources. He spent time in front offices, and is dialed in on the deadline more than most. What he said was interesting.
Teams are interested in left handed relief, and given how well Perez has pitched, he is very valuable to a lot of contenders on the market. This tells me that Perez has spoken to his family, and they prefer to remain in Arizona. If he isn’t traded, then I don’t know if the D’backs will do anything else.
Addison Reed has been rumored and to me he is not a good fit in Arizona, but I don’t think Tony La Russa and General Manager Kevin Towers agree with me. Gerardo Parra has a lot of value and his market gained steam on Tuesday, but I don’t think the front office wants to trade him now, and I don’t think they will deal Brad Ziegler, Aaron Hill, or Martin Prado.
The Snakes want to contend next year, and I don’t know if they want to blow up their good pieces, especially given the way they have played over the last 75 plus games.