With Santiago Casilla have some issues filling Brian Wilson's shoes, Guillermo Mota sitting at home as part of a suspension and a few of Fresno's finest remaining in the bullpen the San Francisco Giants are looking for some relief pitching help at this year's trade deadline. And according to a report from Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, the Black and Orange are showing some interest in Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez.
The San Francisco Giants, seeking late-inning help, are interested in Perez, according to major-league sources. The Indians could entertain moving Perez for two reasons - they are deep in relievers, and Perez likely will earn about $7 million next season in his second year of arbitration.
The 27-year old Perez has 26 saves this year with a 3.06 ERA and a 10.4 strikeouts per 9 innings so far. He's set to earn $4.5 million in 2012 which will escalate to around $7 after the season when he's arbitration eligible for the third time. As a super two player he will remain under team control through 2014.
The Giants bullpen has seen it's share of injuries this year, owning a combined 3.41 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 ratios this season. And with the long-term status of Brian Wilson in question after his second Tommy John surgery, Perez could be a solid addition for the G-Men.
As you may recall, Perez had some issues with the fans in Cleveland earlier this year, calling them out for a lack of support for the than first-place club. He certainly wouldn't have that problem if he came to San Francisco, that's for sure.
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