I'm hopeful this is a good deal for the Royals, and I think it has a chance to be a good one. Not because he is a .330 hitter of course, but he is solid everyday catcher, those last two seasons for $8.75 million total should be cheap.

Considering the Cards just signed Yadi Molina for $75 million, this looks like a steal (I know, apples and reserve clause players).

Wow, I knew the Royals loved Perez - especially for his defensive, pitcher handling, intangibles, ect - but still... damn...

Billy Butler has almost as many PA wit the Royals as Kevin Seitzer? Wow, time does pass by.

If he stays a regular starter he'd have gotten almost as much in arbitration, right?

well ...

a) he wouldn't be arb eligible until 2015
b) what do you think he'll hit

Half-time defensive "god" Jeff Mathis made just $3.2 in his first 2 arb years. The pretty good hitting Carlos Ruiz made $4.6 in his first 2 arb years. Yadier made $5.1; Soto will make $7.3 (signed after one of his good years); Miguel Montero made $5.2; Martin made $9; Suzuki will make $8.4.

So, ummmm ... as soon as somebody can explain why Suzuki will be $8.4, I'm gonna call $7 M for Perez probably a bit of an overpay. But of course with 3 years of inflation, $5 M could easily be $6.5 M. Barring injury, probably a cromulent deal but it doesn't look like a bargain. Unless of course he puts up a 115 OPS+ or something, that would be pretty good.

Oh wait, I suppose with the 3 years minimum, they're only paying him about $5.5 for his first 2 arb years, that looks better. (Contract probably structured so that he makes more than the min over the next 3 years but that's not gonna make a big difference.)

It's not much money, so whatever. But, I've never heard of this guy. Is he a top prospect?

If not, it seems odd to worry about locking him up after 150 PAs.

Perez will make $750,000 this season with base guarantees of $1 million in 2013, $1.5 million in 2014, $1.75 million in 2015 and $2 million in 2016.

The Royals hold club options, with no buy-out clauses, for $3.75 million in 2017, $5 million in 2018 and $6 million in 2019. The deal contains contract escalators that kick in from 2017-19 for awards and achievements from 2012-16.

With three option years, including two years after Perez would hit free agency, this has the potential to be a fantastic deal by the Royals.

With all due disclaimers about small sample size, Perez had a huge cup of coffee last year. .331/.361/.473 for an OPS+ of 128 from a 21 year old defense-first catcher.

But, I've never heard of this guy. Is he a top prospect?

The Royals think so. You'll probably hear as much about Perez from team sources as any prospect besides Hosmer. They moved Wil Myers off of catcher last spring to clear Perez's path to the majors.

Some of the prospect hype missed him because going into last season he had never played above high A, while his cup of coffee last year just barely used up his rookie status. But if you follow the Royals, they probably talk him up more than anybody except Hosmer.

But, I've never heard of this guy. Is he a top prospect?

Tough to say. He doesn't make prospect lists because he had a pretty meteoric rise last year, and he's a glove-first catcher with a mediocre bat, and those guys don't make prospect lists. I think this is a pretty good deal for the Royals though. At the very worst they have a great defense, no hit backup catcher for about market rate for a backup catcher (his backup Brayan Pena, still under the reserve clause, will make $875k this year and he's an awful defender). At the very best they'll have a Kurt Suzuki-type catcher for less than $4 mill AAV. The three club options give them team a ton of flexibility. For whatever its worth it also sends a message to guys like Moustakas and Hosmer that the team is willing to commit to players (at least the cheaper ones - the team is supposedly still far apart with Alex Gordon on a potential 4-6 year extension).

Here's a nice breakdown of the contract

The break even point for the Royals for offering the contract, vice [sic] him not signing it, is just below the 0.5 WAR level.

From the comments:

I compared the Buck 5 years to Sal in my piece for tomorrow. The Royals gave Bucko 6.207M during his 5 years for 3.4 brWAR / 3.7 fWAR. When you consider the raise of the minimum that gives a decent reference of perceived performance by the FO to equal the $7M.

And here's Fangraphs:

If Perez can adapt to major league pitching, this deal could be a pretty significant steal for Kansas City. His bat might not play immediately, but offensive production at his position is so low that sluggish hitting still might not destroy his value. Even if Perez can’t adjust, there’s a decent chance he still lives up to the $7 million he’s guaranteed. And if Perez becomes one of the worst players in baseball, the Royals will have only overspent by $1 million or $2 million. It’s risky to extend such a young player with so little experience — but in this case — the Royals made the right move.

I guess it really comes down to whether or not you think Salvador Perez will be able to stick in the big leagues at all for five years. The only way this is a bad deal is if it quickly becomes clear he's not a big leaguer.

Best thing about this deal is the way out-of-the-box thinking either Royals management or the player's agent did to initiate it. A multi-year deal to a player with so little actual time and not a huge hitting prospect. Congrats to all!

To paraphrase Michael Bluth... "Him?"

Tough to say. He doesn't make prospect lists because he had a pretty meteoric rise last year, and he's a glove-first catcher with a mediocre bat, and those guys don't make prospect lists. I think this is a pretty good deal for the Royals though. At the very worst they have a great defense, no hit backup catcher for about market rate for a backup catcher

Sure, but a guy like that never costs you much in arb anyway. I guess I just don't see the urgency, unless you think he can mash.

I guess it really comes down to whether or not you think Salvador Perez will be able to stick in the big leagues at all for five years. The only way this is a bad deal is if it quickly becomes clear he's not a big leaguer.

Could they trade him to Japan?

Looking at his minor league page, it's hard to tell what to expect from him in the major leagues. He's very young, he's a catcher, and he keeps getting promoted before getting too many at bats.

Sure, but a guy like that never costs you much in arb anyway. I guess I just don't see the urgency, unless you think he can mash.

Of course, but like I said that's probably worst case scenario (barring injury). If he becomes the starting catcher, like many think he will, they'll save millions. The urgency is in getting him before he boosts his value. The sooner you ink him, the lower the cost.