Kansas City Royals sign Salvador Perez to four year extension

The Kansas City Royals have been adamant about locking in their core as they move forward. After they made several moves to upgrade their roster, the front office had begun to look to keep those key pieces in place. In the case of players such as Salvador Perez, it was difficult to imagine them playing for any other franchise.

Seeing Perez in another uniform will not be anything Royals fans have to worry about. He has been locked in to a four year extension with an option for a fifth year, making it almost certain that he retires in Kansas City.

Salvador Perez to remain with Kansas City Royals

This contract is the largest in Royals’ history, surpassing the four year, $72 million deal Alex Gordon signed after the 2015 season. Much like Gordon, Perez is a key part of not only the lineup, but the clubhouse as well, the heart and soul of the franchise.

This was the perfect time for Perez to negotiate an extension. He had a career season in 2020, posting a 161 OPS+ with 11 homers and 12 doubles in his 156 plate appearances. However, there is plenty of reason to be concerned with regression, as he walked just three times with 36 strikeouts.

Likewise, his .333 batting average would seem unsustainable. Perez posted a .375 batting average on balls in play, 88 points higher than his career mark. Meanwhile, he posted a career low 1.9% walk rate and a career high 23.1% strikeout rate. It would be foolhardy to expect Perez to produce another season as he had in 2020.

Nonetheless, that does not take away from the player that he is. Perez is another power threat in the Royals’ improved lineup, a three time Silver Slugger who is one of the best power hitting catchers in the majors. He is also stellar defensively, a five time Gold Glove winner with a cannon of an arm. His presence alone makes the Royals’ pitching staff better.

Salvador Perez will not be going anywhere. The Kansas City Royals have locked their star catcher up with a four year extension.