The Indians signed catcher Roberto Perez to a four-year extension through 2020, the club announced on Saturday. MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports that the extension is worth $9 million guaranteed and includes club options for the 2021 and 2022 seasons that would bring the total to $21.5 million.
Perez, 28, is the tenth Indians player to sign an extension with the team this spring. He shouldered catching duties alongside primary backstop Yan Gomes in 2016, contributing down the stretch after missing 11 weeks with a fractured right thumb. His value is almost exclusively derived from his defensive performance, as he set new career lows at the plate last year with a .183/.285/.294 batting line and three home runs in 184 PA. Perez bounced back in the postseason, however, hitting three decisive home runs in the ALDS and World Series and assuming full-time responsibilities behind the dish while Gomes recovered from a lingering shoulder injury.
Per Bastian, Perez is slated to receive a $500,000 signing bonus and will work his way up to $7 million in 2022 if both of his options are exercised. The full breakdown of his projected salary is below:
Details on Roberto Perez's extension with Indians... pic.twitter.com/xRve0aeKBi
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) April 2, 2017
