Salvador Perez, Royals agree to restructured contract

Marc Lancaster

Salvador Perez, Royals agree to restructured contract image

The Royals are doing the right thing for their star catcher.

Kansas City announced Tuesday a new contract with Salvador Perez that will pay the All-Star at a level more in line with his production.

It's a goodwill gesture as much as anything, as the Royals already had control of Perez through the 2019 season at a bargain rate under the terms of a contract the catcher signed four years ago after playing only 39 games in the majors. That five-year deal guaranteed Perez only $7 million, with team options for 2017-19 that maxed out at $6 million in the final season.

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Now Perez will make $52.5 million from 2017-2021, according to Yahoo Sports, with the restructured contract set to begin on the heels of Perez making $2 million this season. Still a great deal for the Royals, but also far more palatable for a player who has been called the heart and soul of the defending World Series champions and won't turn 26 until May.

Perez took over as the Royals' everyday catcher in 2013 and has been an All-Star and won a Gold Glove each of his three seasons in the role. He hit .260/.280/.426 with a career-high 21 home runs last year and capped the season by being named MVP of the World Series.

Marc Lancaster

Marc Lancaster Photo

Marc Lancaster joined The Sporting News in 2022 after working closely with TSN for five years as an editor for the company now known as Stats Perform. He previously worked as an editor at The Washington Times, AOL’s FanHouse.com and the old CNNSportsIllustrated.com, and as a beat writer covering the Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds, and University of Georgia football and women’s basketball. A Georgia graduate, he has been a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2013.