Salvador Perez owns the catching job in Kansas City. There is no one to compete with the best and most beloved backstop in KC Royals history and the club isn’t looking to replace him.
Perez, though, is 30, an age when teams begin looking for ways to give high-caliber catchers regular relief from the taxing grind of daily life behind the plate. In Perez’s case, missing last season after Tommy John surgery makes that quest a bit more urgent. And his contract expires after next season; although he might command more money elsewhere, it’s hard to imagine him leaving the only team and major league town he’s ever known.