LHP Oliver Perez signed a two-year deal worth $7 million with the Washington Nationals on Friday.

Perez was traded to the Astros on Friday, the Arizona Republic's Zach Buchanan reports.

The 33-year-old southpaw has a 3.10 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 29 innings of relief this year and will offer another lefty option out of the Astros' bullpen down the stretch. The minor leaguer going back to the Diamondbacks in this deal has not yet been announced.

Perez hasn't allowed an earned run since June 1, covering his last 12 outings and 7.2 innings, to lower his ERA for the season to 3.97 after it peaked just over 6.00 prior to the streak.

Perez is primarily a situational lefty at this stage in his career, but he had become quite effective in that role, which made his early season struggles surprising. He has recorded 28 strikeouts in 22.2 innings this year, good for 11.1 K/9.

With Addison Reed moved out of the closer role, at least temporarily, Perez could see a few save chances.

Manager Chip Hale hasn't announced a replacement for Reed, so he may play match ups, which could bring Perez into the mix. While the veteran has been effective as a reliever over the last few years, he has struggled this year - posting a 6.52 ERA and 1.86 WHIP with 12 strikeouts in 9.2 innings.

Perez imploded in the ninth inning Sunday in a 7-4 loss to the Dodgers, allowing two earned runs on two hits (including a home run) and a walk, while striking out the side.

Perez has been quite effective over the past few seasons as a reliever, but he has this kind of performance in him. The two runs he allowed put the Dodgers up 7-0 and kept the game out of reach when the Diamondbacks made a come back in the bottom of the ninth. He should be fine in his next outing.

Perez picked up the win in relief Friday in a 4-3 win over the Dodgers. He pitched a scoreless inning, allowing one hit in the contest.

This was the veteran reliever's third appearance of the season and he has once again shown that he can be effective in short outings. He is the D-Backs top lefty option in the bullpen.

Perez is among the few relievers positioned as a lock for the Diamondbacks' Opening Day roster.

With improved control and a continued ability to miss bats, Perez has become an above average reliever while making the transition to the role over the past three seasons. If the Diamondbacks are forced to begin the season without Addison Reed (shoulder), Perez could work in tandem with a right-handed option (Evan Marshall or Brad Ziegler) to close out games with a committee. At this point, it's purely speculation that Reed could miss the start of the season, and the D-backs have a variety of options at their disposal.

Perez was awful Sunday against the Dodgers, giving up four runs (three earned) on two hits (both homers), a walk, a hit-batter and a wild pitch while retiring just one batter.

Despite the hideous outing Sunday, Perez has actually pitched pretty well this season, posting a 2.29 ERA, 1.145 WHIP and a 66:20 K:BB over 55 innings.

Perez allowed the game-winning run after 1.1 innings on work, striking out one in the Diamondbacks' 1-0 loss to the Nationals on Thursday.

Perez had pitched three perfect innings in the last four outings before Thursday. Despite the bad outing, the 33-year-old's ERA sits at 1.98 for the season. He ranks 16th in the NL in ERA per 50 innings pitched.

Oliver Perez allowed a hit in a scoreless inning of work as the D'Backs fell to the Mariners 6-3 on Thursday.

Perez, recently signed by the D'Backs, says it won't take long for him to get back into game shape. If his Cactus League debut on Thursday is any indication, he's right. Perez reinvented himself as a reliever over the last two seasons with the Mariners and will try to repeat the performance in Arizona.

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said Oliver Perez is on target to be ready for the team's season-opening games in Australia.

Perez didn't sign until March 10, but the left-hander said he would only need five innings to get his arm in game shape. That appears to be the case, which is good news for the Diamondbacks. Perez will come in handy during the two-game series on March 22, as the Dodgers are likely to feature left-handed hitters Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier in their opening lineup.

Oliver Perez thinks he'll need only five Cactus League innings in order to be ready for the start of the season.

The D'Backs start their season on March 22, but if Perez does indeed only need five innings, he should have time to get ready. The left-hander was officially signed on Monday and seems likely to appear in a Cactus League game later this week.

Diamondbacks signed LHP Oliver Perez to a two-year contract.

The financials haven't been released, but Perez is expected to receive around $4.5 million. The left-hander put up a 3.16 ERA and 98 strikeouts over 82 2/3 innings over the last year and a half with Seattle and will be one of the primary lefty setup men for the D'Backs.

Diamondbacks signed LHP Oliver Perez to a two-year contract.

Exact financial terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed, but Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported that it will be slightly over $4 million. The 32-year-old southpaw his reinvented himself as one of the premier left-handed relievers in the league, and will work in a setup capacity in the D'Backs bullpen.

FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that Oliver Perez is close to signing a multi-year contract with the Diamondbacks.

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman says it's a two-year deal. It's a surprise Perez has been on the market this long given his 3.16 ERA and 98 strikeouts over 82 2/3 innings over the last year and a half, but it appears he's finally found a home. Rosenthal says the lefty only needs to complete a physical before the deal is official. The D'Backs bullpen was already pretty packed, so it will be interesting to see if this is a precursor to another move.

As recently as a week ago the Nationals still had interest in Oliver Perez, a source tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com.

The Nationals have been rumored to be interested in the southpaw for months and it appears some interest still exists, even with camp underway. Another source told Ladson the team's interest could hinge on whether lefty Ross Detwiler remains in the rotation. The team traded left-handed reliever Jerry Blevins to the Athletics during the offseason, so they'd have some use for the 32-year-old. Perez posted a 3.74 ERA and 74/26 K/BB ratio in 53 innings with the Mariners last season.

The Nationals remain in on Oliver Perez, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.

The Mariners, Perez' former team, and the Padres are also interested in the lefty reliever. He's drawing interest for good reason after posting a 3.74 ERA and 74/26 K/BB ratio in 53 innings this past season. He was even better against lefties in 2013, holding them to a .238/.358/.288 line.

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports that the Nationals have "significant interest" in Oliver Perez.

They've also expressed interest in Javier Lopez and Boone Logan and could go after Manny Parra and/or J.P. Howell as they attempt to re-stock their left-handed relief corps. Perez has remade himself into a nice reliever the last year and a half in Seattle, posting a 3.16 ERA with 98 strikeouts over 82 2/3 innings.

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports that the Orioles and Braves "are among many teams" who have inquired about Mariners' reliever Oliver Perez.

Perez has found new life in the Mariners' bullpen, posting a 1.89 ERA and 46 strikeouts over 33 1/3 innings this season. While his velocity was lacking during his final days in New York, he's averaging close to 93 mph on his heater this year and his slider has returned as a legitimate weapon. Competing executives tell Heyman that he may come cheaper than White Sox left-hander Matt Thornon. We should also hear plenty of chatter about Kendrys Morales and Raul Ibanez in the coming weeks, though Heyman hears that the Mariners are reluctant to start selling off their veterans.

Oliver Perez struck out the side against the Reds on Friday for his second save of the season.

Tom Wilhelmsen was warming up in the bullpen in case Perez got into some trouble, but no help was needed. The rejuvenated southpaw now has a ridiculous 1.39 ERA and 46/14 K/BB ratio in 32 1/3 innings this season. The Mariners appear set on giving Wilhelmsen another shot in the closer role, so he remains the best bet to own in this bullpen moving forward.