Royals' Commitment to Captain Salvador Perez Is Justified

Kansas City Royals GM JJ Picollo hasn't been idle since the 2025 MLB season concluded with Game 7 of the World Series on Saturday, November 1st.

Since the Dodgers clinched their latest World Series championship, Picollo has parted ways with pitchers Michael Lorenzen and Kyle Wright, as well as outfielder Randal Grichuk (all expected moves). However, the most significant move by Picollo just three days into the offseason was the signing of catcher and captain Salvador Perez to a new two-year deal.

MLB.com Royals beat writer Anne Rogers confirmed on social media shortly after the official announcement that Salvy's two-year deal is worth $25 million.

The Royals held a club option on Salvy for 2026 worth $13.5 million. While they are paying for an extra year, they save $1 million on his 2026 contract under this new deal. 

At 35 years old, Perez is entering the twilight of his career, though he has still been productive at the plate for the Royals.

In 2025, Salvy slashed .236/.284/.446 with a .729 OPS and hit 30 home runs and collected 100 RBI in 597 plate appearances. His 95 wRC+ was lower than his 117 mark in 2024, and his 0.5 fWAR was also much lower than 3.3 fWAR in 2024. Still, in terms of home runs and run production, Salvy was one of the Royals' more dependable hitters a season ago.

Let's look at what Salvy did in 2025 in terms of Statcast metrics and how the Royals should handle his catching load in 2026 and 2027 to maximize his production over the duration of his new contract.

Salvy's Batted Ball Quality Still As Good As Ever

When it comes to plate discipline, "patience" isn't exactly a term that describes Perez's approach.

In 2025, his 0.22 BB/K ratio was 12 points lower than in 2024, and his 4.4% walk rate was 2.3% lower. Interestingly enough, his 40.1% O-Swing% was actually 2.5% better than a year ago, and his contact rate was 1.2% better as well, according to Fangraphs. Still, those categories ranked in the 2nd and 3rd percentiles, respectively, via Savant.

Conversely, his barrel rate, hard-hit rate, and launch-angle sweet-spot percentage remained stellar, as illustrated in his TJ Stats Statcast profile below.

Salvy's 90th percentile EV ranked in the 77th percentile, his Max EV ranked in the 87th percentile, and his barrel rate ranked in the 90th percentile. Those are all elite marks and illustrated that Perez remains one of the better power-hitting catchers in the game, despite his age. His hard-hit rate (65th percentile) and LA Sweet-Spot% (66th percentile) weren't quite as immaculate, but they were still solid marks, nonetheless.

When it came to barrels, Perez's 10.9% Brls/PA% was the second-best mark in baseball, behind only Seattle's Cal Raleigh, an AL MVP candidate.

An interesting aspect about Salvy's batted-ball profile is that he remained strong in pulling the ball, especially in the air. His Pull Air% ranked in the 89th percentile, and many of his home runs were launched over the left-field wall, especially at Kauffman Stadium, which profiles as more friendly to right-handed pull hitters, according to Statcast park factors.

That said, he still demonstrated an ability to hit the long ball to all directions in 2025, as illustrated by his 2025 HR spray chart, via Savant.

Based on the batted-ball profile and spray charts, Perez should remain an option for the Royals in the No. 4-5 spots in the batting order in 2026 and perhaps 2027, depending on how this upcoming season goes. Even with slight regression (he will be 36 in May), his exit velocity and barrel profile should still help him collect 20-25 home runs next season, at the very least (as long as he stays healthy, of course).

Royals Have Help For Salvy Behind the Plate in Jensen

The trade of Freddy Fermin to San Diego helped the Royals in the long term, as it gave them two solid arms in Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek. However, one could argue that it hurt Salvy at the plate, as he was forced to increase his catching load in the absence of Fermin.

According to Fangraphs game logs, after August 1st, Perez slashed .199/.256/.423 with an 82 wRC+ in 212 plate appearances. He hit 12 home runs and collected 36 RBI over that sample. However, he was unable to provide much else beyond home runs during those last two months of the regular season. 

A positive development for 2026, though, is that Salvy should have help with Carter Jensen, who had a sensational rookie debut in Kansas City.

The Royals brought Jensen up when rosters expanded in September, and he absolutely mashed in his month-long sample. In 69 plate appearances, he slashed .300/.391/.550 with a 159 wRC+. He also hit three home runs, scored 12 runs, and collected 13 RBI. The most impressive aspect of his rookie debut may be the excellent exit-velocity, barrel, and plate-discipline metrics he displayed, according to his TJ Stats profile.

What Jensen did on a Statcast end was absolutely ridiculous, especially when one breaks it all down:

• 99th percentile in Average EV.
• 98th percentile in barrel rate.
• 97th percentile in LA Sweet-Spot%
• 97th percentile in wOBA; 98th percentile in xwOBA
• 94th percentile in BB%
• 74th percentile in K% and O-Swing%
• 90th percentile in Pull Air%

Granted, that's only a month-long sample. Still, it's absolutely elite and shows that Jensen has All-Star and Silver Slugger potential.

Even with some expected growing pains on both the offensive and defensive ends, Jensen's presence in the lineup will ease the pressure on Salvy to play catcher every day while still maintaining above-average power production. Furthermore, Jensen backing up Perez in 2026 also allows Royals manager Matt Quatraro to give Salvy those much-needed breaks from catching and let him play first base or hit in the DH spot.

Fermin's strong defensive ability and average hitting allowed Quatraro to employ that strategy in 2024 and most of 2025, much to the benefit of Salvy and the Royals as a whole. Jensen should continue that trend, as long as he continues to showcase his solid skillset in 2026 over a full MLB season. 

The development of Jensen could help Perez remain a key producer for the Royals, not just in 2026 but also in 2027. Not only will that make Salvy's contract well worth the money, but the next two years could allow Salvy to mentor Jensen and help him develop into the Royals' next long-term franchise catcher.