Kansas City Royals general manager J.J. Picollo poured cold water on any thoughts that the team will deal longtime catcher and team captain Salvador Perez this summer.
"We have no intention of trading Salvy. It's not something we're looking to do," Picollo said Monday, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. "But it doesn't mean that teams won't ask about him. I can confirm that (a previous) report was accurate, a team called and asked about him."
Perez has been a staple of Royals baseball for the last decade and is one of the franchise's most beloved players. The durable backstop made his name as a leader of the team's back-to-back AL pennant winners last decade and won World Series MVP honors in 2015. He's also earned five Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers during his time in Kansas City.
The Royals recognized Perez's status with the organization by naming him team captain at the start of this season. Perez now sports the "C" on his uniform, a rare honor for a baseball player.
The 33-year-old is enjoying another solid individual season, as he enters Monday's game sporting a .273/.308/.502 slash line with 13 homers and 36 RBIs. However, Perez is doing it on a dreadful Royals team mired in another rebuilding season. Kansas City, which hasn't posted a winning record since its championship campaign eight years ago, is amid a six-game losing streak and sits just two games ahead of the Oakland A's for baseball's worst record.
Perez's relatively reasonable contract should only make him more attractive to contenders needing a veteran catcher. The seven-time All-Star is guaranteed $44 million over the final two years of his deal, which includes a $13.5-million club option in 2026.
However, Perez ultimately has the final say on his future thanks to his 10-and-5 rights, which allows him to block any deal. Picollo didn't make it sound like his captain is anxious to waive those rights any time soon.
"He knows he's a good player. He knows teams are going to ask about him," Picollo said. "I think we all have to keep in mind he's got full no-trade rights. He completely controls the destiny. He's told us over and over again, he wants to be a Royal his whole career."
