Salvador Perez isn’t moving away from Kansas City anytime soon, according to Rustin Dodd of The Athletic (subscription required). Dodd explains that the Royals have a price set for the catcher that is “so exorbitant that no team would meet it,” though a specific number has yet to be divulged.
Perez wrapped his eighth season in the Royals’ organization this fall, during which he matched previous career-high totals of 27 home runs and 80 RBI while batting at a much lower clip than ever before (.235/.274/.439 across 544 PA). Despite seeing lackluster results over the first half of the season -- which somehow didn’t prevent him from earning his sixth straight All-Star nod -- and battling through a left knee sprain and ligament damage in his left thumb, there would appear to be no shortage of interested teams should the Royals ever reverse their decision and choose to cash in one of their hottest trade chips for a handful of prospects.
For the time being, however, the team won’t solicit trade offers on the 28-year-old slugger. Perez is slated to remain with Kansas City through the 2021 season and will collect another $36 million on his contract before entering free agency in 2022. While the door is temporarily closed on any potential deal for the World Series champ, Dodd adds that the Royals might still listen on second baseman Whit Merrifield, who raked in a league-leading 192 hits and 45 stolen bases during his third campaign with the team and will stay under club control through 2022.