Sep 4, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (13) gestures to the dugout after hitting a home run during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Royals GM Makes Proclamation On Salvador Perez's Future In Kansas City

Originally posted on Kansas City Royals on SI
By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Sep 17, 2025 12:00 PM ET

When you put a "C" on a player's chest, you certainly hope to keep that player around for as long as you possibly can.

Kansas City Royals catcher and captain Salvador Perez is already a franchise icon. He's a nine-time All-Star, the last remaining member of the 2015 World Series champion roster, and one of the best leaders on any roster in Major League Baseball.

However, there is no contractual guarantee Perez remains with the Royals beyond this season. Kansas City holds a $13.5 million club option on the veteran for his age-36 season next year.

J.J. Picollo on Salvador Perez's contract

The least likely scenario is the Royals declining that option and letting him walk in free agency. But simply picking up the option would create some doubt, certainly, that Perez could be entering his final season in Kansas City.

On Tuesday, Royals general manager J.J. Picollo addressed Perez's future, saying that the trade of Freddy Fermin made it clear Kansas City intended to keep the captain around for at least the 2026 campaign, but alluding to negotiations that may need to occur this winter.

“Trading Freddy, for me, is a pretty good indication of where Salvy’s going to be next year,” Picollo said, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. “There are some things we've got to work through. But I think it's pretty safe to say Salvy is going to be a Royal.”

Perez is definitely getting to an age where it makes sense for the Royals to have a successor, and they may well think they have one in 22-year-old Carter Jensen, the rookie Kansas City native. Jensen popped his first two career home runs on Tuesday in a 12-5 loss to the Seattle Mariners.

Jensen and Perez could easily split time next year, as the latter was already ceding about half of the games behind the plate to Fermin before the trade. The Royals' current No. 1 prospect is also another catcher, 20-year-old Blake Mitchell.

Look for Kansas City to try for a short-term extension with Perez this offseason, which would essentially boil down to whether the two sides could come close to agreeing on when the legend is due for regression and (eventually) retirement.

This article first appeared on Kansas City Royals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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