This afternoon, the Royals announced a four-year extension with the catcher Salvador Pérez. The contract also includes a club option for a fifth season, reports Alec Lewis of Athletic, which sets out the full terms (via Twitter). Pérez will earn $ 20 million in 2022, $ 20 million apiece in 2023 and 2024 and $ 22 million in 2025. The 2026 club option is valued at $ 13.5 million and has a buyout of $ 2 million. In total, the transaction secures $ 82MM with a potential of $ 93.5MM over five years if the option is exercised. Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star was the first to report the transaction’s average annual value of $ 20.5 million (Twitter link). Pérez is a client of the Beverley Hills Sports Council.
Pérez, who was previously offered free agency at the end of the year, will now stay in Kansas City for the next half decade. The 30-year-old (May 31) is a face of the franchise and has spent his entire professional career in the Royals organization. A workhorse behind the board and an instrumental piece by Kansas City’s rugby winner and 2015 World Series team, Pérez now looks set to have a chance to spend his entire career at the franchise. (He also plans to surpass ten years of service this season, and he will include full trade protection as a player with ten years in MLB and the last five in one team – not that a trade has ever seemed likely).
Should he play his entire career in Kansas City, Pérez would follow Alex Gordon as career-long royals. Gordon’s $ 72 million four-year deal from January 2016 was previously the largest investment in franchise history. Pérez’s expansion now takes the title.
The backstop position with the organization has undoubtedly played a role in this expansion, but Pérez is not simply paid nostalgia. He is coming off the best offensive season of his career on a rate basis, after hitting 0.333 / .353 / .633 last year with eleven home games, more than 156 farm art. Pérez does not hold a .345 batting average on balls in play or a .300 isolated power (pass minus batting average), but he does not have to hit that level to stay productive. Despite a large workload behind the plate, Pérez hit .251 / .285 / .466 between 2017 and 18. He has some notable shortcomings due to the low rate at the base, but Pérez offers a lot of pop and surpasses most in the position.
Tommy John surgery sidelined Pérez for the entire 2019 season, but he showed no bad effects last year. An eye condition led to an IL period of three weeks, but it was never expected to be a long-term problem. Pérez’s quality production on the board indeed gives reason for the buyer of Royals to believe that he has put the problems behind him.
Defensively, Pérez has long been considered a below-average pitcher (although he was about average in last year’s small sample). However, he helped offset some of his receiving problems with a plus, and the Kansas City buyer obviously strongly believes in his leadership and softer skills behind the bar, and has now reached agreements with three separate extensions over the course of his time. profession.
As the deal begins in 2022, the Royals’ salary prospects for this season are unchanged. Pérez will earn $ 14.2 million in 2021 under the terms of its previous expansion. Kansas City’s long-term books are pretty clear. Prior to the expansion of Pérez, the Royals had only $ 29.75 million in guaranteed liabilities next season (including the buyout of 2023 options). Two years from now, first the newly extended Hunter Dozier join him in the books.
Pérez was the best catcher option planned to get the free agency next year. Exclude players with club options that appear to be exercised, Travis d’Arnuad and Yadier Molina is now planning to present the heading of the class behind the dish.