The Kansas City Royals have had an active offseason and it has yet to slow down. The MLB club is reportedly working on negotiating new contracts with franchise players Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas.
Rumors from earlier in the week found the Royals and Perez were indeed talking about restructuring his team-friendly contract, which will pay him just $2 million in 2016. The Royals also have the star catcher under three team options from 2017-2019 ($3.75 million, $5 million and $6 million).
Perez told Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com that he was indeed talking about a new deal with the Royals. The 25-year-old has emerged as one of the best catchers in the MLB and he's outplayed his contract in tremendous fashion. As a result, the Royals seemingly want to reward him.
The club hasn't commented on the contract negotiations.
When asked if he thought a new deal would be worked out before spring training, Perez told Flanagan, "I don't know. I got my agents they are talking to. We'll see. We have to wait for it. I'm happy either way. I'm happy no matter what. I'm here to play the game."
The 2015 World Series MVP signed a five-year, $7 million contract in 2012 after playing only 39 games with the Royals. While it seemed like a good deal then because of Perez's lack of MLB experience (he had only 39 games under his belt), it's now one of the biggest team-friendly bargains in the entire league.
As for Moustakas, the 27-year-old is in his second year of arbitration eligibility and won't hit free agency until after the 2017 season. He and the Royals have yet to agree on a salary for the 2016 season, but rumors suggest the team is hoping to work out a multi-year pact.
Moustakas told Flanagan that the Royals and his representation have discussed a two-year deal, which would cover his arbitration years. When arbitration figures were exchanged two weeks ago, Moustakas filed for a $7 million salary and the Royals countered at $4.2 million. MLBTradeRumors.com projects the third baseman to make $5.7 million in 2016.
The Royals conducted similar negotiations with first baseman Eric Hosmer last offseason. The two sides agreed to a two-year, $13.9 million contract, which covers Hosmer's first two years of arbitration. He'll make $8.25 million in 2016 before his final year of arbitration eligibility in 2017.
Stay tuned for updates on both of these developments.
