Kansas City Royals reliever Aroldis Chapman has already been floated in MLB trade rumors this season. Now, with Kansas City continuing its rebuild, All-Star catcher Salvador Perez is reportedly among the MLB trade candidates in 2023.
Through their first 61 games this season, the Royals have the second-worst record in baseball and are joined by the Oakland Athletics as the only two teams without 20 wins. Kansas City began fielding trade calls on Chapman in May and those conversations reportedly left rival clubs with the belief that Perez is available for trade.
- Salvador Perez contract: $20 million salary (2023-’25), $13.5 million club option
Related: MLB games today
According to Levi Weaver and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, teams who called the Royals about Chapman got the impression that Kansas City wanted to package him in a deal with Perez.
The 33-year-old catcher signed a contract extension with Kansas City in 2021, becoming one of the highest-paid MLB players. Because of Perez’s contract and his tenure with the Royals, he could prove difficult to trade.
As a veteran with 10-and-5 rights, 10 years of service time and five or more with their current club, Perez can block a trade to any team. He’s also at an advanced age for a catcher and is owed $20 million annually through 2025.
- Salvador Perez stats (2023): .282/.316/.512, 12 home runs, 34 RBI, 119 wRC+, 0.9 fWAR
However, there is still a possibility that several teams in the MLB postseason picture are interested in adding an All-Star catcher to address a weakness in their lineup.
Identifying 3 best Salvador Perez trade destinations
As fans saw last season, catcher trades during the season are fairly rare. MLB teams didn’t make a move for Willson Contreras both because of the Chicago Cubs’ asking price and the difficult adjustment of a catcher needing to learn how to work with a new pitching staff.
Related: MLB stadium rankings
While Perez is still advanced at the plate, hitting at an All-Star level, he isn’t great defensively. He ranks 54th in Catcher Framing Runs (-3), 51st in Strike Rate (43.2%) and is in the 15th percentile for framing. Ultimately, though, Perez’s impact with the bat makes him a compelling target if the price is right.
- Miami Marlins: Through their first 62 games, the Miami Marlins rank 16th in OPS (.723) and 24th in runs scored (248). Catcher is a big part of the problem, with Miami’s catchers ranked 28th in wRC+ (55) and 25th in OBP (.270). Perez could be plugged into the middle of the Marlins’ lineup, creating more runs and providing a veteran presence for the young starters.
- San Diego Padres: The San Diego Padres have fallen well short of expectations this season and will need to be buyers just to have a shot at the postseason. Right now, San Diego’s catchers have combined for the second-worst OBP (.240) and have a collective .168 batting average and 49 wRC+. Perez would be a massive upgrade for the club and San Diego has demonstrated its not afraid to spend.
- New York Yankees: While Jose Trevino (8.3 Def) has been a positive for the New York Yankees defensively, he’s essentially an automatic out (.213/.251/.315) at the plate. Considering New York’s issues with injuries, it needs to add more depth to the lineup. Perez would be a hit defensively for New York, but it’s likely worth it for what he brings with the bat.
- Houston Astros: The Houston Astros have one of the worst situations at catcher in the majors, ranking 27th in fWAR (-0.4) through their first 60 games. Considering Yainer Diaz and Martin Maldonado aren’t making a positive contribution either defensively or in the batters’ box, Perez is a perfect target for the reigning World Series champions.