Royals Projected To Make This $13.5 Million Salvador Perez Decision For 2026
In this story:
It's hard to imagine Salvador Perez in anything but a Kansas City Royals uniform, but that possibility is technically on the table as soon as next season.
The Royals' starting catcher since 2011, Perez is now the team's captain and one of the all-time franchise greats. At age 35, and with a lot of mileage on his knees, it's hard to know just how much longer he'll be able to stick behind the plate.
Meanwhile, Perez's original four-year contract extension is up at the end of this year, but he's up for a club option at a discounted rate of $13.5 million (his last deal had an average annual value of $20.5 million). Is it a simple decision for Kansas City?
Insider projects Royals will keep Salvador Perez
On Tuesday, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand all but said the Royals would pick up Perez's option, though it cannot be made official until after the World Series, assuming the club doesn't want to work out some sort of extension first.
"Perez’s days as a full-time catcher are behind him, but he’s shown the ability to handle both first base and DH, keeping his bat in the lineup on most days," wrote Feinsand. "
"Perez still has power (22 home runs, 74 RBIs in 124 games), but his leadership – he’s been Kansas City’s captain since the start of the 2023 season – is more than enough reason for the Royals to pick up his option."
This season, Perez is slashing .246/.292/.446, good for a 103 OPS+. If we accept that as a bit of a down year, considering his OPS+ last season was 122, there's plenty of reason to believe his bat can provide enough value on its own to justify that $13.5 million price tag.
Keeping Perez on a one-year commitment also allows the Royals to call up top catching prospect Carter Jensen, who looks great in Triple-A, and give them both plenty of reps without either being overworked.
A tougher decision might come at some point next season, but for now, it looks like Perez still has more baseball to play in Kansas City.
More MLB: Royals' Salvador Perez Sees Impressive Record Toppled By Worthy Successor
Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
Follow jrobertsbsbl