Report: Nats agree to two-year deal with Oliver Perez

The Nationals have agreed to terms on a two-year, $7 million deal with left-handed reliever Oliver Perez, an industry source has confirmed. The signing ahead of next week's Winter Meetings in Nashville is the first tangible move in general manager Mike Rizzo's expected bullpen makeover.

Perez would presumably inherit the 25-man roster spot and duties of southpaw Matt Thornton, who was not re-signed and remains a free agent.

The 34-year-old Perez went 2-4 with a 4.17 ERA in 70 games between the Diamondbacks and Astros last season, with left-handed batters managing just a .185./235/.283 slash line against him. He fared better with the D-backs, where he posted a 3.10 ERA and 1.241 WHIP in 48 games, before being traded on Aug. 8 to the Astros, for whom he had a 6.75 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 22 games.

Though he flamed out as a starting pitcher after three times recording double-digit victories for the Pirates and Mets early in his career, Perez reinvented himself as a left-handed specialist out of the bullpen, starting in 2012 with the Mariners.

He was previously Nationals property, signing with Washington on March 23, 2011, and his last run as a starting pitcher was with Double-A Harrisburg, where he went 3-5 with a 4.04 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) in 2011. The following offseason, pitching for Culiacan in the Mexican Pacific Winter League, Perez worked exclusively in relief, posting an 0.63 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 23 games.

Over 438 major league games in 13 seasons, including 195 starts, Perez is 67-83 with a 4.44 ERA. In 243 games as a reliever, he is 9-16 with a 3.67 ERA, 1.396 WHIP and two saves.

Like several of his new Nationals teammates, Perez is represented by the Boras Corporation.

MLB.com first reported the agreement between the Nats and Perez.