Report: Royals trying to rework Salvador Perez's team-friendly deal
In Salvador Perez, the Kansas City Royals have one of the most productive catchers in the game.
Still just 25, Perez has been a vital part of the club's consecutive World Series visits in 2014 and 2015 -- not to mention the championship this past year.
The Royals also have a tremendous bargain on their hands: Perez signed a five-year deal worth just $7 million in 2012 (with incentives) prior to his becoming a premier everyday player.
According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Royals and GM Dayton Moore are apparently looking to "rework" Perez's deal, which is almost absurdly team-friendly given the current state of MLB economics:
Perez is coming off a season in which he played in 142 games, hit .260/.280/.426 with 21 home runs and 70 RBI and posted a WAR of 2.2. He made the All-Star team in 2013, 2014 and 2015, has won three straight Gold Glove Awards and was the World Series MVP this past November after hitting .364/.391/.455 against the New York Mets.
His contract includes three team options in 2017, 2018 and 2019, though even those are heavily on the 'cheap' side of things ($3.75M in '17, $5M in '18 and $6M in '19).
Considering where the Royals are organizationally, with their "window of opportunity" potentially closing in a few seasons, making sure Perez sticks around (and is content with his salary) makes sense. He's a core player for the club, he's still young and he was a big reason they ended a three-decade World Series drought, after all.
