Chris Perez gets 22nd save as Indians win 6-4 over Orioles

Cleveland Indians Chris Perez celebrates with catcher Yan Gomes after Perez closed a 6-4 win over Baltimore on Sept. 4.

(Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -– The Indians have released closer Chris Perez and re-signed free agent Jason Giambi to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.

Perez went 5-3 with 25 saves and a 4.33 ERA in 54 games this year. He was eligible for arbitration this winter after making $7.3 million. Perez could have made between $9 million and $10 million.

In June, Perez and his wife were arrested by drug agents after a package containing a small amount of marijuana was delivered to their house. He also spent time on the disabled list with a sore right shoulder.

"We worked our off-season planning process in our meetings, and we made the determination that Chris wouldn't be a fit on our roster next year," said Perez. "Once we got clarity on that, we felt it made sense just to move forward with the transaction now rather than wait."

The Indians could have non-tendered Perez on Dec. 2.

Perez, a two-time All-Star with the Tribe, went 11-17 with a 3.33 ERA and 124 saves from 2009 through 2013 in Cleveland.

Besides the drug bust, he angered management and fans in 2012 with his sharp tongue. He criticized management and ownership for bad trades and lack of spending. He ripped fans for their non-support of the team and blind loyalty to the Browns.

Antonetti said Perez's track record with the Indians on and off the field, along with the raise he was scheduled to get in arbitration, factored into the decision.

In doing so, he made it clear that the Indians were unable to trade Perez. In fact, they tried to trade him at the end of the 2012 season and found no taker.

"On balance, Chris was a very meaningful contributor to our teams over the last few years," said Antonetti. "He had a tough stretch at the end of the season, but all players go through ups and downs."

With the Indians on the verge of clinching the first AL wild card spot in late September, Perez was removed from the closer's role.

"He was arbitratilon eligible again this year and he was due for another raise," said Antonetti. "We had to make some determinations of where our team needs are and how we're going to allocate our resources moving forward."

Giambi, 42, hit .183 (34-for-186) with eight doubles, nine homers and 31 RBI in 71 games last season. He became the emotional leader of the team through his personality and knack for getting big hits at big times.

"There is no better way to start our offseason than to re-sign Jason Giambi," said Antonetti. "He made such a huge impact on our team. He embodies everything we're looking for in our players."

The Indians also acquired left-hander Colt Hynes from the Padres for cash. Hynes, 28, made 22 appearances for the Padres this year, striking out 13, walking nine, while allowing 17 earned runs in 17 innings.

Hynes will go to big league camp and compete for a spot in the bullpen. Lefties hit .158 (5-for-32) against Hynes in the big leagues last season. In the minors last year, at Class AA and AAA, lefties hit .147 (11-for-75) with 35 strikeouts against Hynes.

How do you feel about Perez being released? And who should be the Tribe's closer?