Royals lock up home grown Perez

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Royals signed C Salvador Perez to a five-year contract extension.
The contract also includes three club options which could keep him with the club through 2019. Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports that he'll make $7 million over the first five years and could earn a maximum of $26.75 million if he reaches all incentives over the eight years. Perez made his major league debut last August and batted .331/.361/.473 with three homers, 21 RBI and an .834 OPS over 158 plate appearances. The 21-year-old backstop wouldn't have been arbitration-eligible until after 2014 or free agency until after 2017. There's obviously some risk involved with locking up a player with so little major league experience, but Perez could prove to be a major bargain if he becomes a productive everyday catcher in the long run.

Very risky move here by the Royals. Catchers are always a risk and Perez only has 158 PA under his belt. We have seen catchers like Carlos Santana and Buster Posey miss a chunk of time by getting hurt at the plate. I really hope Perez stays healthy and the Royals get a steal here. I liked what I saw of him last year but really didn't see that much of him. One thing is for sure now, Perez is the future behind the plate.

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Perez left today's game with a knee injury. I truly hope it's not serious!

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Salvador Perez was diagnosed with a left lateral meniscus tear and will require surgery.
Tough break for the 21-year-old backstop, who injured the knee during warm-ups on Tuesday. No word yet on how long he'll be sidelined, but Brayan Pena figures to spend the first few weeks of season as the Royals' starting catcher.

Damn!

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Perez is now out 12-14 weeks. Really blow to the Royals. Could we see them sign Pudge now?