Chris Perez is not afraid to speak his mind. Since the start of the season, the Indians closer has emerged as one of the most outspoken players in all of baseball. When you take an outspoken person and combine him with a 5-24 record in the month of August, you’re asking for trouble. Whether the Indians front office has been asking for it or not, Perez decided to give it to them following Cleveland’s most recent loss to the Tigers.
When asked why Detroit has been able to find success and the Indians have not, Perez told Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com the following.
“Different owners,” he said. “It comes down to that. They (the Tigers) are spending money. He (Tigers owner Mike Ilitch) wants to win. Even when the economy was down (in Detroit), he spent money. He’s got a team to show for it. You get what you pay for in baseball. Sometimes you don’t. But most of the time you do.
“You can’t miss. You have to be right. That’s why I say it’s not just ownership. They don’t make the trades. It’s the GMs. It goes hand in hand. The GMs can only spend the money the owners give them, but they pick who they spend it on or who they don’t. They pick. The owners don’t pick. Josh Willingham would look great in this lineup. They didn’t want to (pony) up for that last year. … That’s the decision they make, and this is the bed we’re laying in.”
This is the same Perez who cursed out an A’s fan before a game earlier this season, so we know he isn’t shy. It’s also the same Perez who ripped the Indians fans for booing and not showing up to games, so it sounds like he is just unhappy with the overall situation in Cleveland. Perhaps dealing him would be a good place for the front office to start fresh.
H/T MLB.com
Photo credit: David Richard-US PRESSWIRE
