AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn
As Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline approaches, a veteran Kansas City Royals star is reportedly drawing interest from around the majors.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, “the Royals have fielded calls on Salvador Perez and talked to teams, but they don’t seem anxious to move him.”
An eight-time All-Star, Perez has spent his entire 13-year major-league career in Kansas City, though he sat out the entire 2019 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He is regarded as the face of the franchise after leading the Royals to a World Series title in 2015, earning World Series MVP honors that year.
The 33-year-old catcher ranks second on the team this season with 17 home runs and 44 RBI while also slashing .247/.289/.430. In a win over the Cleveland Guardians earlier this month, he became the 10th player in MLB history to hit 200 home runs as a catcher with his 240th career long ball.
At 32-75, the Royals have the second-worst record in the American League. Kansas City is believed to be a seller at this year’s deadline and already traded infielder Nicky Lopez to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday in exchange for left-handed pitcher Taylor Hearn.
This will mark the eighth straight season that the Royals have missed the playoffs, so a change in scenery would be a better use of Perez’s talents. He is signed through the 2025 season, so it’s likely that he would prefer to compete for a championship at this stage in his career.
It remains to be seen if a team will be able to put together an offer enticing the Royals to part ways with Perez.
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