Fernando Perez Dealt to Chicago Cubs, Begins New Era in the National League
1/10/2011 1:52:00 PM | Baseball
NEW YORK – Former Columbia outfielder Fernando Perez was part of an eight-player deal between the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs. Perez, who was drafted by the Rays in the seventh round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft, will now don the Chicago uniform and be part of a different franchise for the first time in his professional career.
"If on opening day I am with the Cubs, this is a great thing," Perez told John Nalbone of The Trenton (N.J.) Times. "It's a great city, a great franchise, and I am really excited. I loved playing with the Rays; they will always be my first love, but they are up against a lot of stuff over there as an organization. This is a really special opportunity for me."
A native of West Windsor, N.J., Perez was dealt with right-handed pitcher Matt Garza and a minor leaguer to the Cubs for right-handed pitcher Chris Archer, outfielder Brandon Guyer, catcher Robinson Chirinos, shortstop Hak-Ju Lee and outfielder Sam Fuld.
An All-Ivy League outfielder at Columbia in 2004, Perez made his Major League debut with the Rays in 2008, and was a key part of the squad's American League championship team that season.
Perez was a member of the active roster throughout the entire 2008 postseason, playing in five games, and scored the game-winning run in the 11th inning in Game 2 of the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox. Perez spent most of the 2010 season at Triple-A Durham after he suffered an injury during spring training.
