BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates were desperate for starting pitching when they signed Martin Perez, but they were seeking more than a start every fifth day from the veteran left-hander.

For Derek Shelton, the goal was simple: stability.

The Pirates manager was the bench coach for the Minnesota Twins when Perez pitched there in 2019. What stood out to Shelton on the first day pitchers and catchers reported to Pirate City was Perez’s presence.

“Listening to him talk today and how much he’s matured and taken the role of being that veteran guy, I’m excited to get him,” Shelton said. “This guy has grown into a solid pitcher and a solid leader in the clubhouse, which is really important for us.”

After winning the World Series with the Texas Rangers last fall, Perez signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Pirates. He saw more than a shot at being a starter. The 32-year-old Venezuelan knew he could be a veteran voice for a team with a young core that won 76 games last season and has hopes of developing into a playoff contender.

“When I got the call, I think it was a good opportunity for me,” Perez said. “I’m not coming here to just do my job on the mound. I come here to try and help my teammates, to let them know how good it is to win a World Series. I just try to bring that mentality to these guys and try to make them better people and better players, to make sure they know how to compete to get to that point.”

The 6-foot, 200-pound sinkerballer was demoted to Texas’ bullpen last August after going 8-4 with a 4.98 ERA in 20 starts, including an 8.50 ERA in four starts in July, and ranking among baseball’s worst in whiff percentage (17.2%) and strikeout rate (15.3%). That was a blow for a pitcher who was an All-Star in 2022, when he went 12-8 with a 2.89 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 196 1⁄3 innings over 32 starts for the Rangers.

“I know last year was a weird year for me but, like I said, it’s a new year. We have new goals,” Perez said. “Personally, I want to be ready to go out there and throw 32-33 starts. I want to pitch every five days and help the team to win. I have the same mentality, just a different approach. It’s a different organization, but it’s not going to be hard for me to be ready for what they want or what they’re looking for out of me.”

That’s why stability is so important. Perez has made 32 or more starts three times in his career, including back-to-back seasons in 2016-17. He’s made at least 20 starts in seven of his 12 seasons in the majors, throwing a career-high 198 2/3 innings over 33 starts in 2016.

Perez had been bumped to the bullpen before, most recently by the Boston Red Sox in August 2021. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington knew Perez was capable of a bounce-back season and was intrigued by the idea of adding another lefty to join Marco Gonzales in the rotation.

“In Martin’s case, he was really attracted to our situation and we were really attracted to him based on what we know about him as a teammate and his growth the last few years,” Cherington said. “He’s one year removed from an exceptional season, and as we looked back on last season, there were small things that had changed and that we thought would be relatively easy adjustments for him to make.”

That Perez had a history with not only Shelton but also Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin, a former minor-league pitching coach with the Rangers, made the Pirates even more attractive.

“I’ve had them in the past. We have a good relationship,” Perez said. “I believe in this team, too. Believe me, if I don’t feel good somewhere, I’m not going to be there because money is not everything. To be here, with this type of group, is an honor for me because I know we can have a good team.”

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