The Kansas City Royals enter August at the bottom of the MLB standings and the latest MLB power rankings. With the front office focused on building a team for the future, several of the Royals’ veteran contributors including All-Star catcher Salvador Perez could be traded.
Ahead of Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline, the Royals have only made a series of small trades. Kansas City traded reliever pitcher Jose Cuas to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Nelson Velasquez on Monday night. It also dealt infielder Nicky Lopez to the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Taylor Hearn and acquired Cole Ragans and outfielder Roni Cabrera from the Texas Rangers for Aroldis Chapman.
- Salvador Perez stats (2023): .247/.289./.430, 17 home runs, 44 RBI, .719 OPS, 90 wRC+, 0.1 fWAR
Now, Royals’ general manager J.J. Picollo is considering a bigger move ahead of the trade deadline. While Kansas City doesn’t have a lot of premium assets available, Perez is drawing some interest.
Related: MLB trade tracker
According to Jon Heyman of the NY Post, the Royals have fielded trade calls on Perez from multiple MLB teams. While talks are ongoing, Kansas City “doesn’t seem anxious” to move Perez and there is a higher likelihood that he remains with the club.
The Royals’ interest level in trading can be tied heavily to the market itself. While he’s an important piece of the organization and serves as a leader in the clubhouse, the reduced trade value for catchers and Perez’s other issues are likely factoring into Kansas City’s approach.
Why the Kansas City Royals are unlikely to receive good value in a Salvador Perez trade
At the 2022 MLB trade deadline, the Chicago Cubs weighed trading All-Star catcher Willson Contreras. Unlike Perez, Contreras was on an expiring contract that further diminished his trade value. However, there are some similar factors that highlight why the Kansas City Royals likely wouldn’t receive a strong return for Perez.
For one thing, MLB teams aren’t as comfortable trading for starting catchers during the regular season. Chemistry and communication between a pitching staff and the catcher is imperative for success. Trading for Perez would mean throwing him into an unfamiliar situation, requiring him to learn on the fly with a new cast of 13-plus pitchers that he’s never worked with before.
- Salvador Perez contract: $20 million salary in 2023, $20 million salary in 2024, $22 million salary in 2025, $13.5 million club option with $2 million buyout in 2026
It’s the kind of thing that MLB teams, especially in the playoff race, try to avoid. Making things even more complicated, Perez is no longer at the level defensively that helped him earn five Gold Glove Awards (2013-’16, 2018) during his best years in Kansas City.
Entering MLB games today, Perez ranks 51st among catchers in Catcher Framing Runs (-4). He’s become one of the worst pitch framers in baseball, ranking 48th among his peers in Strike Rate (43.6 percent). Even his glove work outside of manipulating the strike zone has become an issue. On Aug. 1, Perez had the fourth-worst Defensive Runs Saved (-9) among MLB catchers.
Not only is Perez bad defensively, he’s also struggled at the plate in recent months. From June 1 – July 31, Perez posted a .202/.251/.315 slash line with a 28.5 percent strikeout rate, 52 wRC+ and a .567 OPS. He’s been one of the worst everyday players in MLB over the last two months and is still owed at least $44.5 million over the next three seasons.
While the Royals will likely cite Perez’s importance to the organization as a motivation for keeping him, the All-Star catcher’s declining trade value and the clear signs of regression in his age-33 season are two of the biggest reasons why there likely won’t be a significant market for him.