With a bullpen full of questions, the Nationals added another by signing left-hander Cionel Pérez to a minor league deal with a spring training invitation, a source confirmed.

Pérez brings major league experience and has a strong chance to make the opening day roster if he can recapture some of his success with the Orioles earlier in his career.

Pérez, whose agreement was first reported by Francys Romero, signed a split-level contract, according to the New York Post. That means Pérez will be paid $1.9 million plus incentives if he is in the majors, the Post reported.

Pérez’s time with Baltimore came to an unceremonious end last season. He struggled to find the strike zone, walking 18 batters in 21 2/3 innings with an 8.31 ERA. Pérez’s WHIP ballooned to 2.123.

But the Nationals have the room to take bullpen chances. Washington has right-handers Cole Henry and Clayton Beeter as presumed locks to make the bullpen. Beyond that, the competition is wide open. And Pérez, at least, has a pedigree of success in key innings.

In 2022, Pérez was at his best. He posted a 1.40 ERA in 57 2/3 innings, with 55 strikeouts and 21 walks. He followed that with a 3.54 ERA in 53 1/3 innings. But Pérez regressed in 2024 and 2025, along with his command, and he was designated for assignment midway through last season. He was granted free agency, which offered him the chance to join the Nationals.

He may prove to be a key lefty in Washington. Other southpaw options out of the bullpen are Richard Lovelady and PJ Poulin. When Pérez is at his best, he pumps a sinker that sits in the mid-90s and couples that with a slider that boasted a 33.9% whiff rate last year, even as he struggled. He uses a slower slurve to good effect.