CLEVELAND — – The Indians are bringing back reliable and crafty reliever Oliver Pérez.
The 39-year-old agreed Thursday to a minor league deal with Cleveland, which also invited the left-hander to big league training camp. Pérez. has spent the past three seasons with the Indians, appearing in 139 games.
The deal will be finalized when Pérez passes a physical.
Pérez went 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA in 21 games last season while helping the Indians gain a wild-card spot. Pérez has a 73-92 record and 4.35 ERA in 18 seasons with the Mets, Pirates, Diamondbacks, Padres, Nationals, Mariners, Astros and Indians.
Pérez, who broke as a 20-year-old with San Diego in 2002, has played more seasons in the majors than any Mexican-born player.
Pérez may not be able to throw a fastball past hitters, so he relies on a variety of unorthodox deliveries to keep opponents off balance at the plate.