Not quite as bad as George's Getz joke. But some about Hoch would upset me. Which is exactly what the Royals are capable of

I was being facetious, but that could be a bargain 5 years from now.

It's Sal according to Goldberg

Rany is also saying Sal

We've signed Bill Pecota's Dick to play first base

Good signing. We have never had a catcher like him. Not as long as I have been alive. Sunberg was ok.

Will be interesting to see the the terms. I'm sure the Royals got a few option years for guaranteeing through his arbitration years. Interesting...

5 years, with 3 club options

w/ club options, we control him through 2019

Hell of a deal.

Sundberg hit .245 and .212 with the Royals with 77 RBI total in 255 games. He was terrible, but we remember him fondly because he caught in 85.

Wow. So we've got our C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, and CF locked up for several years with a deal hopefully coming for LF soon. We could have 7 of 8 position players together for 5+ years. That's amazing.

Kind of a big tease by the Royals with this one.

I mean it wasn't someone like Hochevar, but I would only describe an announcement as MAJOR if it was Gordon or Hoz. OR a big free agent

Compared to a lot of the other guys that have slinked through Kansas City, he was ok. Ed Hearn was just awful.

I am liking this I can see Perez being a fav favorite

Hope Perez can keep it going in 12. He had a tremendous start when he came up.

Ed Hearn played 13 career games for the Royals. He was a stud prospect before he had major health (and eventually mental) issues.

Not "major" news but good to hear.

7 Million over 5 years....awesome

Omg those cheap ****s, lol

That is a steal! I love it. Can't wait to see how this guy pans out...could be the best signing in franchise history.

Hope this is one we look back at and were like 'damn we shouldve been more excited'

They could pay him the league minimum for the next 5 years. This is just free money for him.

I hated him. Mostly because he was traded tot he Royals for David Cone.

My God, the Royals are like a real grown up baseball team all of a sudden! I haven't been this excited about them since the 80s... yikes, I'm getting old.

This signing is exciting, don't get me wrong. But the Royals cock-teased us by saying it was a MAJOR announcement.

I understand but I get the feeling that KC is aiming for these guys simply because they know they can get them cheap. Not saying it isn't fair but damn, in 2 years he's gonna be worth 5x what he's getting.

That's why they're paying him money they don't have to. It's a show of good faith for him when it's time to re-sign and for potential free agents whose agents will look at the team as one that takes care of it's own. That's several million the team didn't have to cough up.

I think they see it that way... and even given the small sample size I'm not going to disagree. I think the kid is special. Catchers who can change the game with their defense are few and far between. This guy is a cornerstone.

I'm all about the Perez deal. Was kinda hoping it'd be Gordo, but I'm sure it'll get done at some point.

Now...when's the lifetime contract for Hosmer get done? He's the guy I'm scared of losing down the road (yeah, I know, not for a long time...but still...).

At least you were alive for longer than 6 months in the 80s to see it... :banghead:

This is by far the most excited I've ever been for Royals baseball.

I'm not sure on the rules but could they have forced him to play the next five years for the league minimum?

I'm no expert, but I think so. The first several years are at the club's discretion. The players get their up front via the signing bonus if they're good enough.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

Exactly. This is the kind of move that separates the new improved Royals from the disappointing Royals we have come to know the last 20+ years.

No, his last last three years of those, he'd be arbitration eligible.

I have to tip my hat to DM, hes really been great this offseason.

Yep.

What has he done again? Sanchez. Perez. What else? Oh yeah, not signed another starter.

Congrats?

If he did, Paulino might not be in the rotation! Not knocking you or anything, I like Paulino too. Just saying that most people seem to think that if the Royals did get another starter, Paulino would be the one out.

If we're building for the long haul, I'm okay with not signing a starter just for the sake of signing a starter. I'm not a fan of anyone who was available. Let's see what we've got this year so that we can know how to attack next year. If we look up in August and find ourselves in the thick of things but needing a starter, then we can make a trade.

Kyle Davies isn't in the rotation, so we're automatically better than we were last year.

You mean July.

I've gotta disagree with you on the condition that next season we do open the checkbooks. Some agents of the starting pitchers that were available find ways to get word to certain teams that they'll sweeten the pot for them to end up in those cities. I really think DM saw the one-year deals for aging guys as fruitless for a maturing club. I'll take his word that he didn't know that they were gonna go as cheap as they did. If, however, we don't get one next year, I'll be pretty frustrated, even if we have a few young stud arms.

Don't forget Jeff Francis. +2 on addition by subtraction.

I think the Royals feel like they have the young arms on the team/in the system now to compete. I don't think they saw a need to go hard after another starter just to do it if the fit wasn't what they wanted.

Yeah

Cards Molina about to sing a 5 year 70 mill deal....this is a steal if he pans out (perez)

Agreed....i thought it had to be gordo

Well, if that's true, Moore would be acting '09-level stupid. At the very least, Paulino deserves a shot. More so than Duffy, at the absolute very least.

True about Davies. But, in hindsight, the Chen contract is a poor decision (still light on the dollars, so hard to care too much), and Jackson seems like it could have been a Meche-like move (perfect time to buy).

I'm hopeful that we'll be set next year with guys coming up through our own system. My problem is that I think 2012 is here for the taking, and I'd like to see some aggression to try to capitalize.

I disagree with pretty much all of this.

Duffy is going to be a stud. He needs to be in there.

Chen's a bargain, and he can eat some innings.

Jackson is WAY over-valued right now. Hell, he was maybe the top pitcher available.

The Tigers are head and shoulders above us on paper. Jackson/Oswalt isn't changing that. More than anything, we need to know what we have in Sanchez, Duffy, and Paulino (even Hochevar to an extent). Chen's probably going to be dealt before the end of the year, IMO.

I respect your right to be wrong. ;)

"Is going to be." Maybe so; the stuff is there. Doesn't mean a bit of polishing in Omaha would hurt. He showed enough cracks last year to warrant the time, depending on his performance this spring. Paulino, however, did not.

Jackson, based on his contract, is not overvalued at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. Oswalt would never have signed with the Royals, so that's a moot point.

As for Chen, I like the dude a lot, but his career statistics make me more than a little skeptical, let alone betting on years three and four of decent production.

I watch Duffy, and I feel like the minors will just make him regress. He's got filthy stuff, and his strike one and strike two are the best pitches on our team. He needs to learn to trust his stuff in the zone, and that won't happen in Omaha.

In the minors, he can get strike three without getting near the zone. In the majors, hitters just spit on that shit. It drives up his pitch count and lets batters off the hook. If he keeps getting Ks because future insurance salesmen don't know how to manage the strike zone, it's just going to reinforce bad habits. It's hard to get through to a kid when what he's doing is working.

I always respect your takes Deez but I don't think this was/is necessarily the year to go all in. Detroit is the clear favorite while our team is mega young and still needs time to grow imo. Adding a guy like Jackson isn't going to change that.

I see more Cardinal games than any other team and he was solid but I wasn't very impressed by a lot of his outings. Why over-spend on a guy if you aren't really convinced about him when you have so many good, young arms in your system and guys like Paulino were diamonds in the rough? I know I'm among the minority but I'm glad we didn't go all in for Jackson.

I know everyone is hyped up about this season... and I am too... but lets be realistic about the experience on this team. Winning the division this year would be WAY over-achieving. If we're in a position to do it after the break then we can make a deal or two. In the meantime I think we're still mostly in a grow and see what we have stage.

JMO.

I agree with all of this. (Other than the part about respecting DZ, of course. Saul Good respects no man except Saul Good.)

Heh I TRY to respect everyone until the prove they don't deserve it and Deez is a good poster.

Trevo on the other hand...

I'll take Trevo over that Dr. Johnny Fever guy any day.

I'm certain all MU fans would.

;)

5/$7MM to the end of arbitration. 3 club options at 3.75 in 2017, then 5 in 2018, then 6 in 2019. Potentially 8/$21.75MM, a little under $5MM AAV for his first 3 free agent years.

At worst, if Perez can't hit worth a damn and regresses defensively to being merely above average, the Royals break even and don't have to use the options. (well no, actually at worst he breaks a femur and we're just out $7MM) If Perez does not regress too much and is a real legit 800ish OPS catcher with a little power and elite defense, this becomes one hell of a good deal.

edit: apparently there's $5MM worth of incentives buried in there, so could potentially be 8/$26.75MM

Sal Perez... Mexican Johnny Bench....Juan Bencho!

OK so his english isn't so good... I don't care as long as he's the player he looks like he'll be.


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The Story...


Royals lock up Perez for five years

Club options could keep young catcher in KC until 2019

By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com | 02/27/12 10:37 PM EST

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Citing a need for long-term stability at a key position, the Royals on Monday announced a deal with catcher Salvador Perez that will keep him in Kansas City for at least five years -- and, possibly, for the next eight years.

The five-year contract runs through 2016 with club options for each of the following three seasons. The contract guarantees Perez $7 million but could be worth $26.75 million for the full eight years if all the options are exercised and all the incentives are achieved.

Perez will receive a guaranteed $750,000 for this year, $1 million for 2013, $1.5 million for 2014, $1.75 million for 2015 and $2 million for 2016. The option year salaries are $3.75 million in 2017, $5 million in 2018 and $6 million in 2019, with no buyouts. Escalators, based on various awards (such as Gold Gloves) earned during the first five years, and performance bonuses, based on games started at catcher in the three option years, could increase the total take substantially.


"I play the game hard, work hard every day, and I want to be in Kansas City for, like, 20 years," Perez said.

By signing such a deal, Perez might sacrifice some higher salaries that could be achieved through the arbitration process or free agency.

"That's fine with me, because I want to play here," he said.

The ballclub, by guaranteeing a certain amount of money, takes the gamble that Perez will be worth it and will remain healthy.

"Every long-term deal always has a certain amount of risk," general manager Dayton Moore said. "Ultimately, will this player perform and produce over the lifetime of the contract? We believe Salvy will. Will he stay healthy? Well, he's 21 years old, as strong as a bull and works very, very hard."

Perez thanked the Glass family, which owns the Royals, Moore and many others who had a role in his signing and development.

"I like Kansas City. They gave me the chance when I was young," Perez said. "I want to play for Kansas City for a long time."

Perez had not yet shared his contract news with his mother, Yilda, who was at home in Venezuela.

"She doesn't know yet," he said, with a huge smile. "She may not sleep tonight."

Perez said he'd break the news gently so his mother doesn't get too excited.

"I'm going to take it slow, because she might die or something," he said with a deep laugh.

Perez didn't make his Major League debut until last Aug. 10, but he hit .331 and earned praise from pitchers for his game-calling in the 39 games he started at catcher.

Manager Ned Yost, a former catcher, remembers how impressed he was when he first watched Perez play.

"It took about two days for me to realize he was special," Yost said. "I've been in this game a long time. I've been at the big league level a long time and see hundreds of catchers come through. And I've never seen one like him. He's a very rare find."

Moore said that he and Yost had discussed the importance of signing Perez at the end of the 2011 season. He'd also heard from other players.

"Salvy talks to his teammates, and his teammates talk to us, and we're around each other every day," Moore said. "And Ned felt this was very important for us to do going forward. We talked about it the last game of the season -- that it'd be important to do something long-term. And some of our pitchers said, 'We need to keep this guy here long term.'"

Discussions with Perez's agent, Gustavo Vasquez, heated up about 2 1/2 weeks ago. The negotiations also involved Royals officials Dean Taylor, Jin Wong and Rene Francisco.

"It came together in the last 24 hours," Moore said, who added that the Royals pursued the deal aggressively. "We feel, to a man in this organization, that he exemplifies everything that we want in leadership and ability behind the plate at the catcher position."

Perez signed in 2006 at the age of 16.

"I started to dream about playing in the big leagues when I was 15 years old," he said. "When I was 15, some people in Venezuela told me I could sign and be in the big leagues. That's when I started thinking about it."

Now he has a long-term deal with Kansas City.

"He's the total package. I've never seen anybody that compares to him," Yost said.

Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Ok, this video settles it and just pumped me up even more today. I am going to buy the mlb.com package for $100 so I can watch every game on my computer this year.

If the girlfriend gets mad at me I am coming back to this post and blaming in on Beerme.

That is awesome. Well done, Dayton.

I can take the heat. I've believed for the last 27 years.........

I was just searching for t-shirt jerseys on the net and she looked over and said "Yea, you need more gear for the teams you like that never win."

****........

This is good... this is where lew gets the last laugh.

And she should respect you and your teams win or lose anyway. It's easy to be a Yankees fan.

GO LEW!

Who is ready for opening day?!!!! I won't be at that game, but a big group of us are going to try and get tickets for the first Saturday game. I can't wait!

There's a possible CP get together opening weekend at home. Search the "Saturday at the K" thread.

I don't think adding another starter at (in baseball terms) minimal cost is really going "all in." For example, if we signed Jackson for 2 at 22, would this really prohibit anything? Of course not.

And I agree that Detroit is the favorite, but the Royals certainly have a shot at the division if things break right; we're not in need of miracles here for that to happen.

Grantland article from yesterday. SIAP

2012 MLB Season Preview: Kansas City Royals
By Jonah Keri on February 27, 2012 3:51 PM ET

The Kansas City Royals came into last season loaded with young, unproven talent, a team with a bright future, but also a murky present. A year later, the Royals head into spring training loaded with young, slightly more proven talent, but also a roster that might struggle to top .500.

Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Johnny Giavotella, and Salvador Perez all claimed full-time jobs for the first time, joining Alcides Escobar to form baseball's youngest infield. Alex Gordon finally fulfilled his potential and emerged as a star, Jeff Francoeur showed he's more than a smiling face and an OBP black hole, and Melky Cabrera had a career year. The gang's all back this season save for Cabrera, who got shipped to San Francisco for Jonathan Sanchez. That Sanchez, a walks machine who made just 19 starts in 2011, could be the team's no. 2 starter, tells you what's missing from this team: front-line starting pitching. Without it, this is an intriguing, fun-to-watch team ... with third-place upside.

LINEUP (Bill James projections: AVG/OBP/SLG, wOBA)
LF Alex Gordon (.276/.361/.467, .359)
2B Johnny Giavotella (.295/.342/.419, .334)
1B Eric Hosmer (.311/.362/.494, .369)
DH Billy Butler (.301/.372/.477, .363)
3B Mike Moustakas (.278/.323/.447, .336)
RF Jeff Francoeur (.269/.317/.432, .321)
C Salvador Perez (.287/.317/.413, .319)
CF Lorenzo Cain (.284/.337/.416, .334)
SS Alcides Escobar (.267/.309/.360, .297)

Feel free to sub in ZiPS for some of these overoptimistic projections (Cain .306 wOBA per ZiPS vs. .334 per Bill James; Giavotella .309 wOBA per ZiPS vs. .334 per Bill James). Still, there's some thump here, with Hosmer the biggest threat to go nuts on the league. The more subtle positive for the Royals is a team defense that finished 11th in Ultimate Zone Rating last year and could be improved in 2012. Though Cain's chances of hitting .305 with pop like Cabrera did last year are slim to none, he could provide a massive defensive upgrade in center field; saving 15-plus runs more than Cabrera did with the glove last year is a possibility. If they're going to overcome a mediocre rotation, an elite defense would certainly help.

ROTATION (Bill James projections: IP, FIP)
Luke Hochevar (189, 4.27)
Jonathan Sanchez (159, 4.10)
Bruce Chen (194, 4.58)
Aaron Crow (127, 4.23)
Felipe Paulino (157, 3.95)

MLBDepthCharts.com lists Paulino as the no. 5 starter, but he's probably better than anyone else the Royals have. Sanchez barely pitched half a season last year; Crow struggled with command and now must throw 100 more innings in his conversion back to starting; Hochevar and Chen both do a good job limiting walks, but neither misses enough bats to be a top starter (though the Royals still think Hochevar can start to take on the form that made him a no. 1 overall draft pick). Still, it's Paulino, a scrap-heap pickup from the Rockies last May, who offers the most promise, striking out nearly a batter an inning and boosting his ground-ball rate last season. Royals starters struggled to go deep into games in 2011, ranking just 24th in innings pitched. But the bullpen figures to help on that front, with Greg Holland and Joakim Soria forming one of the best reliever duos in baseball last year, Jonathan Broxton signed in the hopes of a rebound season, and some promising young talent knocking on the door.

BREAKOUT PICK
Paulino. His trends are all pointing in the right direction, and he should blow away last year's career high of 157 innings pitched, setting the stage for a big year. If you're looking for an excellent semi-sleeper in your fantasy league, Paulino's a great pick.

IF EVERYTHING BREAKS RIGHT
Paulino and Hochevar give the Royals 400 better-than-expected innings, Hosmer becomes an elite slugger a couple years ahead of schedule, and the up-the-middle tandem of Escobar and Cain dominate defensively, helping give the Royals' run prevention a big lift. Eighty-five wins and a second-place finish would be a long shot ... but it is possible.

IF EVERYTHING GOES WRONG
Crow's a bust in the rotation, Moustakas is slow to develop following last season's weak results (.300 wOBA), and Soria gets hurt before he can be traded for a viable starting pitching prospect. Of course, if the Royals' pitching falters, Mike Montgomery and Danny Duffy could get the call, which wouldn't be a bad outcome for a team that's likely a year or two away even in the best-case scenario.

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-tr...as-city-royals

Its the Royals, so this will happen.

Fair enough.

We are in need of some good break out seasons from our starting pitching. We have the offense, we just need starting pitching.

I think it's much more likely we see Danny Duffy in the rotation than Aaron Crow, at least to start the year.

I could see Crow spending some time in Omaha to keep him stretched out and work on his curve/change and being the first call if/when a starter is hurt.

They REALLY need Odorizzi to step forward like they think he can, Lamb to come back strong from Tommy John, and Montgomery to find the strike zone. Two of those three things happening are probably more critical than any other developmental thing happening this year...

I'm sorry but I looked further into it. That Perez contract is a joke. Thinking the Royals took advantage of the guy and his situation.

Is Crow out of options? For some reason I thought he was.

It's not close to a joke. He is being paid more up front that he would in his non-arb years and has some very rich options at the end.

That's how baseball works. Controlled players don't get market value deals.

Also, Perez is actually 37 years old.

Nah, he's got at least two left if I remember correctly.

He has to be carried on the MLB roster, though.

Unless you're creative like the Rays and you give Matt Moore (a pitcher with 9 career innings pitched!) a five-year, $14 million contract because 1. you know he's going to freaking good and 2. you want his agent to catch you a break when he reaches free agent status.

And his real name is Humberto Ortega.

The value difference between Matt Moore - THE pitching prospect in baseball - and Salvador Perez is pretty great.

Ace starters - which Moore is going to be - are much more valuable. And even at $14 million, that's just a sniff of what Moore would get were he a free agent. He would be able to get a 5-year contract that triples that, easily.

Catcher is a less well-paid position than pitcher.

The way Perez's deal breaks down, he makes about 50 percent more than what he otherwise would have in his non-arb years, and then what looks like fair arb value for a guy with 150 at-bats. He gets a lot more up front and makes a similar amount at the back end. It's a win-win (and similar to what Joakim Soria signed).

Side note: If Mike Montgomery bursts onto the scene in the second half like many in the Royals org expect, I wouldn't be surprised to see a deal very similar to Matt Moore's tossed Monty's way.

How did you get a picture of Radio in your avatar with that trophy?