Aroldis Chapman: Salvador Perez could leave Kansas City with him
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Last winter, Aroldis Chapman wasn’t exactly a hot free agent. After seeing his time in the Bronx end in inglorious fashion (he was sent home before the playoffs for failing to show up for practice with the team), his poor performance did not make him a highly coveted gunner.
In the end, however, he found a buyer, when he signed a one-year pact with the Royals. That said, from the moment of signing, it was expected that he would be traded to an aspiring club at the deadline if he revived.
And even if he slowed down a bit, he had a great start to the season, so the clubs are starting to pay attention to him. The Royals are listening to offers, but in the short term they are unwilling to trade him.
Unless…
The Royals are offering two options to clubs calling now. The first is to pay top dollar for Chapman in order to get him before the deadline, and the second is to take another player with him to both free up salary and increase the return.
And among the additional players mentioned, Ken Rosenthal speaks of none other than Salvador Perez.
In effect, Perez has a no-trade clause given that he has 10 years of service including five in a row with the same team. However, he might want to join an aspiring team and he is still capable of hitting the ball with confidence.
Recall that he will earn around $20 million per year for this season and the next two and that there is a team option for the 2026 campaign (valued at $13.5 million). Clearly, trading Perez would be a way for the Royals to free up a lot silver.
That said, the fact that he makes so much money might put teams off paying the big price (in hopes) to acquire him with Chapman. It is a possibility of seeing him leave, certainly, but he is not necessarily the most likely candidate.
It would rather be Scott Barlow who would be particularly to watch. The reliever, who is still under control for the next season, is not expensive ($5.3 million this year), and if he comes with Chapman, that would make two good relievers for the team that would get them.
Still, if Chapman is traded in the coming weeks (before the trade deadline), he’s not likely to be traded on his own. And even if Barlow is the logical candidate, Salvador Perez is a name that comes up.
File to follow, therefore.
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