CLEVELAND -- The Indians closed out their relationship with Chris Perez. Johan Franzen Jersey . The team released the colorful closer Thursday following a season in which he performed below his All-Star abilities, got arrested and surrendered his job in the final week as Cleveland tried to clinch a playoff spot. Also, the Indians re-signed veteran slugger Jason Giambi, who provided leadership last season along with some clutch hits. A two-time All-Star, Perez spent five seasons in Cleveland. And while he saved 124 games, Perez often was at the centre of turmoil that overshadowed his pitching. He angered Indians fans last season for saying they didnt support the team like they should, and he rankled Clevelands front office by criticizing trades and stating the Indians werent spending enough to win. "We just finished out team meetings and made the determination that Chris was not a fit on our roster," general manager Chris Antonetti said in announcing Perezs release. In June, Perez was arrested after drug agents followed a package containing marijuana to his home in Rocky River, Ohio. He and his wife pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge. Perez, who was never shy about voicing his opinion on any subject, didnt talk to the media for months before breaking his silence on the final day of the regular season in Minnesota when the Indians secured a wild-card berth. Antonetti denied the notion that Perez was a distraction. "I think we were able to handle any issues," Antonetti said. "In the end, we won 92 games with him serving as our closer for the majority of the season." Perez was eligible for salary arbitration this winter, and based on his statistics and was in line for a raise from his $7.3 million salary this year. But Perezs struggles, along with his tempestuous past, resulted in the Indians cutting ties with him a day after the World Series ended. In 54 games, Perez went 5-3 with a 4.33 ERA and 25 saves in 30 attempts. But he scuffled after Aug. 1 as his ERA ballooned to 7.52 ERA and he allowed six runs in his final two appearances. Antonetti said Perez, who had a stint on the disabled list this season with a sore shoulder, is healthy and feels hell bounce back -- just not in Cleveland. "On balance, Chris was a very meaningful contributor to our teams over the last few years," Antonetti said. "He had a tough stretch at the end of the season, but all players go through ups and downs. I think Chris will respond well and pitch well for his next team." After he gave up four runs in the ninth inning of a win over Minnesota late in the season, Perez walked into manager Terry Franconas office and told him he didnt want to cost the team a possible playoff berth. Francona promptly pulled him from the closers role, and there was speculation Perez would be left off the post-season roster. However, Perez was on the active roster for the wild-card loss to Tampa Bay. With Perez gone, the Indians need a closer and will look to fill the spot internally with either Cody Allen or Bryan Shaw, two reliable relievers last year. Antonetti said the club could pursue a closer in free agency, but his preference is to use a pitcher on the roster. Giambi was a consummate team player from the moment he arrived at training camp last spring training, and the Indians were thrilled to have him back. "There is no better way to start our off-season than to re-sign Jason Giambi," said Antonetti. "He made a huge impact on our team last season." The 42-year-old, who was a finalist for Colorados managerial job last year, batted just .183 with nine homers and 31 RBIs in 71 games. But it was contributions inside Clevelands clubhouse as a mentor to the teams younger players and a conduit for Francona that helped the Indians get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2007. Giambi also had a flair for the dramatic. He twice became the oldest player in history to hit a walk-off home run. He broke the record set by Hank Aaron on July 29 against Chicago and then bettered his own mark on Sept. 24 with a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth to beat the White Sox, a shot that helped propel the Indians to a 10-game winning streak to end the season. "When you get a guy like that, sometimes it can be once in a lifetime," Franconia said. "Hes changed people in the organization. Hes made me better. Hes made everybody he touches better. Thats a very special person." The Indians signed Giambi to a minor league contract, a deal with minimal risk in case he decides to retire. Cleveland also made a minor trade with San Diego, acquiring left-hander Colt Hynes from the Padres for cash considerations. The 28-year-old reliever spent the second half of last season with San Diego, posting a 9.00 ERA in 22 relief outings. Dennis Cholowski Jersey . Mike Babcock has turned to the Montreal Canadiens goalie over Roberto Luongo, who backed Canada to a gold medal in Vancouver in 2010, for Canadas final preliminary round game against the ailing Finns. Bob Probert Jersey . Iwakuma pitched seven strong innings to stay unbeaten in road games since last July, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 5-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night. http://www.hockeyredwingsauthentic.com/authentic-sergei-fedorov-red-wings-jersey/ . Ho-Sang is a highly regarded prospect, as seen in TSNs Midseason Rankings. This was Game 3 of their playoff series and that wasnt the only strange incident in Londons 10-2 win over Windsor. DENVER -- A slumping Jose Abreu received a hitting tip from the person who knows him best -- his mom. In an early morning call, she told him to simply relax at the plate. He listened and his powerful swing returned. Abreu and Avisail Garcia each hit two of Chicagos six homers, powering the White Sox to a 15-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night. "My mom told me, Just take it easy," Abreu said through a translator. "That gave me a lot of strength." Strength is something he certainly has an abundance of, which is why the White Sox signed the Cuban slugger to a $68 million, six-year contract in October. In 29 major league at-bats, though, Abreu had no homers to show for it. That changed in the seventh, with the game still close at 4-2. Abreu fouled off pitch after pitch after pitch until sending the 12th one high into the air. The ball crept just over the glove of a leaping Brandon Barnes in left for a three-run homer. The weight off Abreus shoulders, he delivered a two-run drive the next inning. "Thats everything as advertised for him," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "Doesnt necessarily surprise us. I know hes happy, to kind of get it out of the way." Abreu even got his first home run ball, too, in a trade for an autographed baseball. "Like I always say, we should never press for things," Abreu said. "I always give myself some time. You have time to do things. "It was a great day today." Certainly was. Jose Quintana pitched seven sharp innings, and Tyler Flowers and Alexei Ramirez also went deep for the first time this season. The White Sox had six total home runs before the fireworks in this one at hitter-friendly Coors Field. Garcia and Marcus Semien each had four of Chicagos 19 hits. Quintana (1-0) bottled up Colorado most of the night, allowing five hits and two runs. The left-hander appeared ready to pitch the eighth, but after the White Sox batted around, scoring six times, Quintana was removed for a reliever. "I wanted back for more and more," Quintana said. "I understand -- long inning." Quintana is not quite used to this much run support. Hes had 28 no-decisions since 2012, the most in the majors. "Very happy," he saidd of all the runs Chicago scored. Xavier Ouellet Jersey. . "Very, very happy." Franklin Morales (0-1) gave up six runs and two homers in 6 1-3 innings. Morales was essentially pitching to keep his spot in the rotation, especially with Jordan Lyles (2-0) off to a strong start and Tyler Chatwood (hamstring) soon returning from the disabled list. Once Morales was pulled, Chicago went to work against Colorados relievers, with Chad Bettis giving up a homer in the seventh and Wilton Lopez serving up three more in the eighth, including back-to-back shots by Garcia and Ramirez. Lopezs line wasnt pretty: six runs, eight hits and three homers while getting just two outs. He was booed as he walked off the mound by the smattering of fans that remained. Rockies manager Walt Weiss left Lopez out there in order to conserve his bullpen. "I dont like to leave a guy out there as long as I did, or take him out in the middle of the inning and have him walk off the field," Weiss said. "Hes always a guy thats up for the challenge and be in there in good times or tough times." Michael Cuddyer had a double and a solo homer off Quintana. Troy Tulowitzki added an RBI double. The Rockies juggled their lineup to give several starters the day off, including Carlos Gonzalez and streaking Charlie Blackmon. Tulowitzki was in the field a day after being taken out with a tight right quadriceps. Tulowitzki looked a little tentative running out a grounder in the first inning and again in the fourth. He easily trotted to second on his RBI double in the sixth, which made it 4-2. Abreu soon put the game away with his first homer of the season. "That at-bat was very, very important to me," Abreu said. "It kind of gave me a lot of confidence." NOTES: White Sox RHP Erik Johnson (0-1) pitches Wednesday against RHP Juan Nicasio (1-0) in the finale of the three-game series. ... Cuddyer has a hit in all nine games this season. The longest hitting streak to start a season in Rockies history is 16 games by Juan Pierre in 2000. ... A line drive off the bat of Garcia in the eighth hit a fan sitting above the first base dugout in the face. He held a towel to his face as medical personnel escorted him up the aisle. Cheap Canadiens Jerseys Cheap Predators Jerseys Cheap Devils Jerseys Cheap Islanders Jerseys Cheap Rangers Jerseys Cheap Senators Jerseys Cheap Flyers Jerseys Cheap Penguins Jerseys Cheap Sharks Jerseys Cheap Blues Jerseys Cheap Lightning Jerseys Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys Cheap Canucks Jerseys Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Capitals Jerseys Cheap Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '