Nationals Sign Lefty Reliever Cionel Pérez to Minor-League Deal, Spring Invite

Left-hander Cionel Pérez agreed to a minor-league contract with the Washington Nationals and received an invitation to major-league Spring Training, with roster pay that could reach $1.9 million and $700,000 in incentives, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Multiple outlets credited reporting of the agreement on February 14, 2026, and the deal is widely framed as a low-cost chance for a veteran southpaw to rediscover form.

The Nationals view Pérez as left-handed bullpen depth and the move was described as likely sending him to Triple-A Rochester to begin the year. Rotoballer framed the signing as “This is a low-risk move for the Nats, who could end up getting a reliable middle reliever on a cheap one-year contract,” and club-focused accounts and MLB Trade Rumors relayed that the organization expects him to compete for depth, with Spring Training providing a direct look.

Pérez’s peak body of work came in 2022 with the Baltimore Orioles, when “he went 7–1 with a 1.40 ERA in 66 appearances, logging 57 2/3 innings with 55 strikeouts. His ERA+ was 278, nearly triple the league-average mark of 100. Advanced metrics supported his effectiveness: a 3.63 xERA and 2.80 FIP, a 51.3% ground-ball rate (tied for 33rd among 152 qualified relievers), and a 0.31 HR/9 rate that ranked 11th. He recorded his first career save on June 12, 2022,” per a compiled profile of his 2022 season.

The recent form that likely prompted a minor-league pact was stark: across 19 appearances in 2025 Perez logged just over 21 innings with an 8.31 ERA, allowing three home runs, issuing 18 walks and recording 21 strikeouts; he was designated for assignment in late May and elected free agency in late September 2025, according to Sports Yahoo and Rotoballer. Those struggles follow an eight-year big-league career that included a 2018 debut and stints with Houston, Cincinnati and Baltimore.

If Washington adds Pérez to the major-league roster, there are payroll implications. ClutchPoints noted: “If added to the roster, Washington's payroll would rise to $95.38 million, with a $118.18 million luxury tax figure.” Pérez is represented by Octagon, per MLB Trade Rumors, and the financial structure of the deal reflects a guaranteed major-league salary only if he reaches the Opening Day roster plus performance-triggered incentives.

Pérez’s background includes an international signing saga with Houston in 2016, Sports Yahoo reports he was initially signed to a $5.15 million contract that was voided before he ultimately signed a $2 million deal three months later, and a trade to Cincinnati in January 2021 followed by a waiver claim by Baltimore on November 24, 2021. Some outlets describe his Orioles tenure as four years while others call it five seasons; that discrepancy remains in public reports.

For Nationals baseball, the addition is a calculated bet: a 29-year-old lefty with a 2022 peak that produced elite surface metrics and a 2025 slide that depressed his market. The combination of a Spring Training invite, a likely Triple-A Rochester assignment and a near $2 million upside if he wins a roster spot gives Washington an inexpensive avenue to chase bullpen depth and, for Pérez, an opportunity to “capitalize on that near $2 million deal,” as Sports Yahoo put it.