Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com reports that the Orioles could be interested in free agent closer Chris Perez.

The O's have set to the open market in search of a closer after dealing Jim Johnson to the A's, and Perez can be added to a list of possible candidates that already includes John Axford. The 28-year-old struggled in his final season in Cleveland, posting a 4.33 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 54/21 K/BB ratio over 54 innings.

Indians released RHP Chris Perez.

Perez was a non-tender candidate, so the Indians simply got the move out of the way early. The 28-year-old right-hander posted a disappointing 4.33 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 54 innings this summer as Cleveland's primary closer and was busted in June for having a package of marijuana shipped to his house. He'll get another shot somewhere.

Chris Perez is on the Indians' roster for Wednesday's Wild Card game against the Rays.

The Indians will carry 11 pitchers and 14 position players for the game. Perez was recently pulled from the closer role and Indians manager Terry Francona has indicated that he could use Justin Masterson as an alternative.

Indians manager Terry Francona said he's undecided on who he will use in the postseason as his closer.

Chris Perez was pulled from the role last week and seems unlikely to get the job back during the playoffs. "We're not there yet," said Francona. "We'll see how things go." Matt Albers, Joe Smith and Justin Masterson were used in the ninth inning this past weekend, though they were all in non-save situations. Masterson would be an intriguing option, though it's possible he could eventually go back into the rotation. "Some of it probably depends on how stretched out he gets," Francona said of Masterson. "He's a good pitcher, so I'm not as worried about what his role going forward is. I just like the idea that he's a really good pitcher and we plan to use him."

The Indians will use a closer-by-committee approach to finish the regular season.

Chris Perez has really struggled recently and the Indians aren't willing to take any chances with every game a must-win at this point. Joe Smith, Cody Allen, and Bryan Shaw could all be in the mix in the late innings.

Chris Perez was pulled from a non-save situation Thursday against the Twins.

Ouch. Perez entered the ninth inning with a five-run lead, so Indians manager Terry Francona mostly wanted to get him some work after his blown save on Tuesday, but he almost threw the game away before Joe Smith was able to put out the fire. He ended up being charged with four runs on four hits over two-thirds of an inning and now owns a 4.33 ERA on the year. Francona may have no choice but to go in another direction in the ninth inning right now.

Chris Perez blew his fifth save of the season but escaped with a no-decision in Tuesday's win over the White Sox.

Perez allowed a game-tying homer to Dayan Viciedo to lead off the ninth before Alejandro De Aza put the Pale Hose up with another blast with two outs. After Alexei Ramirez singled, Perez was then pulled. Jason Giambi then bailed Perez out with a walk-off shot in the bottom of the frame. Indians manager Terry Francona isn't interested in changing roles at this point, so Perez will get the ball again for the next save chance.

Chris Perez pleaded no contest to drug abuse on Tuesday and was found guilty of receiving a small package of marijuana back in June.

Cleveland's 28-year-old closer was sentenced to pay a $250 fine and serve one year of probation. A six-ounce bag of pot sent from Los Angeles and addressed to Brody Baum, Perez' dog, was intercepted by police in June. Perez' wife Melanie also appeared in court on Tuesday and entered a plea to minor drug possession. Mr. Perez said that the drugs and paraphernalia found in his basement kitchen belong to him.

Chris Perez threw a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 21st save against the Twins on Sunday.

This was a nice performance to see in light of Perez' struggles earlier this month. Entering the game, the veteran closer had posted a 6.30 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over 10 August innings. Despite the occasional rocky outing, Perez has no job-security issues and owns a 3.22 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 44 games. The Indians are 3-1 in Perez' four blown saves this year.

Chris Perez blew his fourth save Wednesday, but he went on to pick up his fifth win against the Twins.

The Indians are 3-1 when Perez blows saves this year, with Perez picking up two of those wins. In this one, he gave up a game-tying solo homer to Joe Mauer in the bottom of the 10th, but he stayed in and pitched a scoreless 11th before the Indians scored in the top of the 12th. Joe Smith took over in the bottom of the 12th and pitched a scoreless inning for his second save.

Chris Perez threw a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 19th save against the Twins on Tuesday.

Perez allowed a double to Oswaldo Arcia but escaped without futher incident. He's now thrown three scoreless innings and picked up two saves since his meltdown against the Tigers last week. Despite the occasion hiccups, he remains a solid option for saves.

Chris Perez fired a perfect ninth inning on Sunday against the Angels to earn his 18th save of the season.

He also struck out his 33rd batter (over 37 2/3 innings). Perez has only given up runs in three different appearances since coming off the DL in late June, but he's probably still washing the taste of Monday's game (four runs without retiring a batter against the Tigers) from his mouth. Perez is 18-for-21 in save conversions and owns a 3.35 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.

Chris Perez gave up four runs without retiring a batter to take a blown save and a loss Monday against the Tigers.

Perez had allowed just two runs in 19 innings since coming off the DL in June, going 11-for-11 in save chances, before tonight's little implosion. That he was pitching for a third straight day might have had something to do with it. It's nothing that's going to hurt his job status... just his ERA.

Chris Perez pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Saturday to earn his 14th save of the season.

Perez put the Rangers down in order, striking out one in the outing. He's now a perfect 8-for-8 since coming off the disabled list in late June. He has a 2.64 ERA on the year.

Chris Perez collected his 13th save of the season Sunday in the Indians' 6-4 win over the Royals.

Perez struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning, working around an Eric Hosmer ground-rule double. The big right-hander finished the first half strong, allowing just one run over 10 innings since returning from the disabled list in late June. Perez is 13-for-14 in save conversions to go with a 3.04 ERA and 1.35 WHIP.

Chris Perez pitched a perfect ninth inning against the Royals on Saturday, preserving a two-run lead and earning his 12th save of the season.

Perez needed just 12 pitches to dispatch of the three Royals hitters he faced, including a strikeout of Alcides Escobar to end the night. Since returning from the disabled list in late June, Perez has posted a 1.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 6/3 K/BB ratio over nine innings of work.

Chris Perez collected his 11th save of the season Thursday in the Indians' 4-2 win over the Blue Jays.

It was not an easy go for Perez, who yielded a two-out double to Adam Lind and an RBI single to Colby Rasmus before getting Rajai Davis to fly out to end the threat. Perez has been fairly steady since returning from the 15-day disabled list and is now 11-for-13 in save opportunities this season with a solid 3.28 overall ERA.

Chris Perez allowed two hits but worked out of the jam to earn his 10th save Tuesday against the Blue Jays.

Perez allowed one-out hits to Maicer Izturis and Rajai Davis but struck out J.P. Arencibia and got Josh Thole to line out to end the threat. The save lowered Perez' season ERA to 3.04.

Chris Perez worked a scoreless ninth inning to earn his eighth save, and the Indians edged the Royals 6-5 on Tuesday.

It wasn't all roses on Tuesday -- a Jarrod Dyson walk and an Alex Gordon single made things interesting, but Perez worked out of the jam without incident. He's now made three scoreless appearances since returning from the disabled list, suggesting his right shoulder is feeling much better than it did a month ago.

Indians activated RHP Chris Perez from the 15-day disabled list.

Perez wound up missing one full month with discomfort in his right shoulder. He is expected to take over immediately as Cleveland's closer, pushing Vinnie Pestano back into a setup role. Perez does not have great numbers this year (4.32 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) but should be activated right away in all standard fantasy leagues.