The Kansas City Royals weren’t about to let Salvador Perez play his 20th professional baseball season anywhere else.
Kansas City signed Perez as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela in 2006, and this past season was his 15th since debuting with the big-league club. But it was also the end of a four-year contract extension, though the Royals held a club option to keep him around in 2026.
Instead of exercising the club option for $13.5 million, though, the Royals and Perez finalized a two-year, $25 million extension earlier this week that seemed to benefit all parties, and had the added benefit of firing up the fan base.
Nov 7, 2023; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals general manager J.J. Picollo speaks to the media during the MLB General Manager’s Meetings at Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Royals general manager J.J. Picollo justifiably felt extending Perez was a worthwhile objective, and after the deal was finalized on Tuesday, he explained the importance of keeping the captain around for an extra season.
“Salvy is a Royals legend and one of the most important players this franchise has ever had,” Picollo said in a statement, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. “We had the option for next year, but everyone knew we wanted to make sure his legacy with us continued longer than that. We appreciate Salvy’s commitment to the Royals, and we’re just as excited as our fans.”
Perez will be 36 and 37 for the two years of his new deal, but he’s still been catching more than half of the Royals’ games in recent seasons. He could cede some of those duties to rookie Carter Jensen if the 23-year-old takes to the gig, and he’s already used to seeing some of his action at designated hitter and first base.
Though his production took a bit of a dip from his All-Star campaigns in 2023 and 2024, Perez still hit the ball very hard this season, and his 30 home runs and 100 RBIs indicate that he can still be an impact contributor if he gets his on-base percentage back above .300.
Even if Perez is no longer an All-Star on the diamond, the Royals knew they couldn’t lose his clubhouse presence just yet, and Picollo made the right move by removing all uncertainty before the hot stove got cooking.
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