bleacherreport
New MLB Trade Rumors on Salvador Perez's Royals Future Ahead of Deadline The Kansas City Royals are 17 games below .500 and figure to be sellers at the MLB trade deadline, but that reportedly doesn't mean Salvador Perez will be on the move.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Tuesday the veteran does not want to leave the only MLB team he has ever known.
That is notable since he has veto power over any potential trade, and Heyman suggested the "half-dozen teams" looking for a catcher "can probably look elsewhere." Perez has split time this season between catcher, first base and designated hitter, so any team trading for him wouldn't be getting a full-time catcher like he was earlier in his career.
But he would still provide plenty of value as a veteran leader with an impressive resume who would also be more than just a rental.
He is under contract through the 2027 campaign as well, giving a potential suitor more team control than is often the case for a trade-deadline target.
Perez's list of accomplishments includes a World Series title, a World Series MVP, five Silver Slugger awards, five Gold Gloves and nine All-Star selections.
He is one of the best catchers and overall players of his generation and helped define an era of Royals baseball.
The 36-year-old will forever be a franchise icon but hasn't been as effective at this stage of his career in 2026.
In fact, he is slashing .208/.259/.365 with 15 home runs and 44 RBI with a WAR of -0.6, per Baseball Reference.
If Perez remains at his current pace, he will finish with a negative WAR for the first time in his career.
From Kansas City's perspective, it could be facing the difficult choice of moving on from a franchise legend to potentially help the team down the line with younger players in return or holding onto a fan favorite.
From the perspective of contenders who could be looking to add him via trade, they will have to decide if his postseason track record and overall experience is worth taking a chance on during what has been a down season.
Still, all of that will be moot if Perez decides to veto a trade because he wants to remain with the Royals.