Signing Oliver Perez Doesn't Make Sense for the Yankees

The slow start to this year's free agent shopping season has left some quality players lingering on the market longer than usual. Derek Lowe can't seem to find a suitor worthy of him while guys like Adam Dunn and Bobby Abreu are being treated like lepers. And the man of eternal left-handed potential, Oliver Perez, is waiting and waiting for someone to show some serious interest.

Kevin Kernan of the New York Post has noticed the lack of activity and suggests that the Yankees sign him up to fill out the back end of their rotation.

"Putting Perez on the Yankees would be a great move," says one top pitching evaluator. "That would be the perfect environment for him. He would be more focused there. He needs strong leadership around him, and pitching in front of a packed house, he would not be complacent."

Frankly, that's ridiculous. Would you really entrust millions of dollars in the arm of a guy who isn't able to motivate himself to pitch well simply because it's his job? Perez has given up 46 home runs and walked 184 batters the last two seasons playing at Shea Stadium, which isn't exactly Duluth. Furthermore, he had his best season pitching for Pittsburgh, so it can't just be fannies in the seats or veteran know-how that makes him throw strikes.

Perez makes sense for the Yankees if you're comparing him to Andy Pettitte. Compared to Lowe or Phil Hughes, though, it is a much tougher sell. If the Yankees don't want to turn the spot over to Hughes, why wouldn't you sign the surest remaining bet on the free market? That's Lowe, not Perez, and that level of confidence would be worth the difference in their price tags.

Perez could put it all together, he's just 27 after all, or he could remain a maddeningly inefficient pitcher who never figures it all out. Hughes has the same potential, is younger and costs much less money. Whichever way you look at it, a Perez-Yankees marriage doesn't make much sense.