Royals sign Salvador Perez to four-year contract extension

The Royals took a major step Sunday toward making sure that catcher Salvador Perez, a franchise icon who was a key member of their 2015 World Series winning club, spends his entire career in Kansas City.

The team announced Sunday that it has signed Perez to a four-year contract extension that begins with the 2022 season and has a team option for 2026. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Perez, 30, is coming off a 2020 season in which he was named American League Comeback Player of the Year, a Louisville Silver Slugger Award winner, a first-team All-MLB selection and was the Les Milgram Royal Player of the Year. He hit a career-best .333 with 11 homers and 32 RBIs in 37 games. Perez also added 12 doubles, 22 runs scored, 17 walks and one stolen base, while recording a .353 on-base percentage and a career-high .633 slugging percentage, which was the second highest in franchise history (min. 150 plate appearances) behind only Hall of Famer George Brett, who amassed a .664 mark during his AL MVP Award-winning season in 1980. The 11 home runs hit by Perez led the team and were tied for third-most by a player who played 37 games or fewer, trailing only Hall of Famers Frank Thomas (12 in 34 games) in 2005 and Ted Williams (13 in 37 games) in 1953.

He led the Royals to the franchise’s first World Series championship in 30 years in 2015, garnering World Series MVP honors, after batting .364 (8-for-22) with two doubles and two RBI in five games vs. the Mets.