Chase De Jong, a 25-year-old righthander who posted a 3.57 ERA in four starts for the Twins last season, was designated for assignment on Wednesday.
The move was made in order to add a lefthander to the Twins starting rotation in 2019. Martin Perez, a fixture in the Texas Rangers’ rotation since arriving in the majors in 2012, on Wednesday signed the one-year, $4 million contract he agreed to earlier this month.
The Associated Press reported Perez will receive $3.5 million this year, and the team has a $7.5 million option for 2020 with a $500,000 buyout. The option price can increase to $8.5 million based on innings pitched in 2019. He also could earn $500,000 in performance bonuses this season.
A native of Venezuela, Perez agreed to a contract last week and attended TwinsFest last weekend while in Minneapolis to undergo a physical exam.
De Jong was acquired in a trade-deadline deal that sent reliever Zach Duke to Seattle in July. He made a promising Minnesota debut, holding the Royals to one hit over four shutout innings on Sept. 9, and he finished the season with 13 strikeouts in 17â…” innings for the Twins. The Twins have seven days to trade, re-sign or release him.