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Wily Peralta Helped His Free-Agent Stock A Great Deal In 2021

Originally posted on The Cold Wire | By Sam Leweck | Last updated 10/28/21

Wily Peralta has been in MLB for nearly a decade.

He has spent time with three clubs, but the 2021 season was his first year with the Detroit Tigers.

The righty inked a one-year deal with Detroit in February.

Detroit didn’t sign the hurler with very high expectations, but Peralta ended up having a terrific year for the Tigers.

As a result, he can expect to attract a fair amount of interest from teams in free agency this winter.

Here’s a look back at how he put himself in this position.

Peralta’s Journey From 2020 To Now

Peralta spent the 2020 season as a free agent.

After he posted an ugly 5.80 ERA over 42 relief appearances in 2019 with the Kansas City Royals, no team was willing to roll the dice on the 32-year-old.

Fortunately for Peralta, that changed in 2021.

At the beginning of the calendar year, the Tigers signed him to a minor-league deal with a spring training invite.

After spring training ended, he spent the early portion of his 2021 campaign pitching for Detroit’s Triple-A affiliate.

There, he impressed, managing a 2.75 ERA over six starts.

The Tigers decided to give him a shot at the MLB level as a result, which ended up being a great decision.

Wily Peralta on a minor league deal, with a $1.5 million base salary at the @MLB level, was one of the great signings of the offseason. @MLBNetwork @BallySportsDET

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 18, 2021

Over 19 MLB outings (18 starts) this season, he was an extremely serviceable arm, putting up a 3.07 ERA and 138 ERA+.

Of his 18 starts, he allowed two earned runs or fewer 14 times.

Needless to say, that’s a guy who’s deserving a spot in a big-league rotation.

From 2020 to 2021, he went from a free agent to a key rotation piece for a major-league team.

Peralta Should Have No Trouble Finding A Home In 2022

Peralta proved his worth in 2021.

As a result, he likely won’t have to worry about the possibility of not finding a team for the 2022 campaign.

Near the end of the 2021 regular season, he spoke about what he hopes his future will hold.

“I’m just trying to do the best that I can every single outing,” Peralta said. “Obviously, I want to have a job for next year. But right now, I’m not even thinking about it. I’m trying to finish strong, and in the offseason, I hope some teams will call.”

The veteran figures to garner interest from multiple teams.

Although nothing has been reported, it doesn’t seem far-fetched to think that he could return to the Tigers.

The Tigers need to resign Wily Peralta for 2022, right?

— Iffy The Dopester (@IffyTheDopester) September 20, 2021

Detroit was the only team willing to take a chance on him, and it obviously ended up being a great situation.

Both parties are likely happy with the way their time together went in 2021.

Moreover, the Tigers are going to need quality rotation arms in 2022 if they want to contend for a playoff bid.

The club had a very mediocre rotation this season, registering a staff ERA of 4.31.

Casey Mize and Matthew Boyd had encouraging campaigns, but many of the team’s other starters struggled (aside from Peralta).

Detroit is trending in the right direction, but the organization is definitely going to have to get busy this offseason if it wants to keep things rolling in 2022.

Re-signing Peralta would be a nice box to check.

This article first appeared on The Cold Wire and was syndicated with permission.

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