Veteran lefty Martín Pérez reaches 1-year deal with White Sox (source)

When a rotation is set to be full of young, inexperienced starters, adding a veteran can be crucial to development. That's exactly the step the White Sox took on Wednesday.

Chicago agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal with free-agent left-hander Martín Pérez, pending a physical, sources told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The club has not confirmed the deal.

Pérez, who will turn 34 on April 4, has spent 13 years in the big leagues, including nine seasons with the Rangers. In more than 1,500 innings, he has pitched to a 4.44 ERA and won 90 games. The Venezuela native was an All-Star as recently as 2022, when he posted a 2.89 ERA in 32 starts for Texas.

Last year, Pérez split the season between Pittsburgh and San Diego and had a combined 4.53 ERA with 107 strikeouts in 135 innings. The lefty made 16 starts for the Pirates, going 2-5 with a 5.20 ERA in 83 innings, but he missed most of June with a groin injury. While on the IL, he was traded to the Padres, who got a healthy -- and better -- version of Pérez upon his return.

In 10 starts for San Diego, Pérez went 3-1 with a 3.46 ERA in 52 innings, and the Padres won his first six starts and eight of the 10 games in which he pitched. In four of his last six starts, Pérez allowed one or no earned runs.

This isn’t the offseason for the White Sox to go all in on top-of-the-line free agents. It’s clear that the organization’s focus for 2025 is to understand what it has in the pipeline and continue to build for future seasons. That includes giving plenty of starts to young pitchers like Jonathan Cannon, Davis Martin, Drew Thorpe and Sean Burke.

Last month, the team signed Bryse Wilson, who has some history as a starter and has been in the league for seven seasons, but Pérez is the type of veteran starter who can pair perfectly with a young group that's ready to learn.

With youth can come hiccups or short outings. Not only can experienced players provide leadership, but Pérez can also bring the stability that may be needed every fifth day. In ’22, he tossed 196 1/3 innings. Pérez fell short of that total in each of the next two seasons, but he's shown that he can be a much-needed workhorse to make sure the bullpen isn’t overtaxed as young hurlers get more opportunities.

Pérez can also be versatile in his role. If the rotation isn’t his best fit, or if there’s another starter ready to get an opportunity in the big leagues, Pérez can move to the bullpen and continue to provide some leadership there. He thrived as a reliever in ’23 for the Rangers (2.70 ERA in 15 appearances) as they charged toward a World Series title.