Next spring, the Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez, one of the best catchers in the majors, will enter the last year of the guaranteed portion of a contract he signed in the winter of 2012. But at the back end, his deal contains three team options that will pay him:
$3.75 million in 2017
$5 million in 2018
$6 million in 2019
When Perez agreed to the deal, he guaranteed himself (and his family) a whole lot of money, but the succession of individual club options at a very reasonable price, relatively speaking, will be the cost for getting money up front. Either way, the Royals probably will have Perez for at least four more years. Meanwhile, Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas will be under the Royals' control for at least two more seasons before they're scheduled to become eligible for free agency in the fall of 2017. Shortstop Alcides Escobar could be a free agent at that same time if the Royals exercise a team option after next season.
But Kansas City's front office is not planning as if the window of opportunity for this group of players will end after a couple of more years. Rather, Kansas City's plan is to try to keep Hosmer, Moustakas, Cain and Escobar, as well as their All-Star catcher, and to keep the success moving forward. Hosmer and Moustakas are represented by Scott Boras, who typically takes his clients into free agency, but just as the Royals plowed ahead and drafted those two players when other teams passed because they are Boras clients, the K.C. front office is undaunted, sources say. The Royals will try to make it work, and hold this group together.
With that, we finish up our positional rankings series by ranking Perez and others among baseball's top 10 catchers, based on input from evaluators and players:
1. Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
The Giants would love to see him catch 100 to 110 games next season and play even more at first base, as they gradually transition him from behind the plate and keep his bat in the lineup. Posey hit .318 last year and drove in 95 runs despite the fact that San Francisco was beset by key injuries, including ones to Hunter Pence, Joe Panik and Angel Pagan. Posey also has become extremely adept at framing pitches, the details of which are posted on Statcorner.com; Posey ranked fourth in the majors at presentation, according to these metrics.
2. Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
Scouts say there is some erosion in his skills, especially in his ability to block pitches in the dirt, and going into 2016, there are questions among rival evaluators about how much longer he can hold up under the incredible workload he fights to maintain. He has had eight seasons in the past decade in which he has played at least 124 games, and he needs only 64 games to reach 1,500 in his career. Only 30 catchers in the history of baseball have caught 1,500 MLB games, and if he catches 200 games over the next two seasons, he'll move into the top 20 of all time.
Molina has such value to the pitching staff and the coaching staff thanks to his preparation, knowledge and in-game calls that it's easy to overstate the importance of any current deficiencies. And he still shuts down running games: Last year, he allowed only 37 steals in 63 attempts.
3. Russell Martin, Toronto Blue Jays
Martin has played 10 seasons in the big leagues and has reached the playoffs in eight of those years -- remarkably for four different teams. Martin hit for more power last season, and he set a new career high in homers (23), although his on-base percentage slid 73 points, to .329. The Blue Jays felt that Martin had a significant impact on their clubhouse culture and their pitching staff as they reached the playoffs for the first time in 22 years, and he continues to throw the ball well.
By the way, Martin is approaching some benchmarks as well. He has 1,238 games caught, and sometime next season he'll likely pass Thurman Munson (1,278), and Bengie Molina (1,285).
4. Francisco Cervelli, Pittsburgh Pirates
He's probably one of the most underrated players in MLB now, given how well he played -- without much notice -- in his first full season as a starter. Cervelli hit .295 with a .370 on-base percentage in 130 games (510 plate appearances) and had the best pitch-framing numbers of any catcher. The Pirates were thrilled with his energy and his preparation, and how invested he was in the pitching staff.
5. Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
The 25-year-old catcher has improved his home run total in each of the past four seasons, and he mashed 21 in 2015. That's the offense. As for the defense, he has won three consecutive Gold Glove Awards. Some evaluators believe he does have some work to do in some of the finer points of catching -- game-calling, framing pitches, etc. -- but they respect him for the energy he carries onto the field daily.
6. Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers have started down what looks to be an extensive period of rebuilding, and it would seem to make sense for them to take advantage of Lucroy's trade value now, because he's 29 years old and Milwaukee would get a whole lot in return for a catcher who had 53 doubles among 173 hits in 2014. But Lucroy is perhaps the Brewers' best and most popular player, and other teams don't sense that Milwaukee is really prepared to move him. Injuries limited Lucroy to 103 games and a .717 OPS in 2015.
7. Yan Gomes, Cleveland Indians
He got hurt early in the 2015 season, and it was as if he and the Indians spent the rest of the season digging out of that early setback. Gomes hit .231 for the season, almost 50 points lower than in 2014, but his work is still highly regarded in the industry, and the expectation among some evaluators is that he'll bounce back. Keep in mind the 28-year-old Gomes has caught only 311 games in the big leagues.
8. Yasmani Grandal, Los Angeles Dodgers
The best of the Dodgers' trades last winter was the deal they made for Grandal, eating a lot of Matt Kemp's contract in moving him to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Grandal in a five-player trade. After a strong first half, Grandal hit just .162, with a .498 OPS, in the second half, but he maintained his reputation as one of the best at presenting pitches to umpires: He ranked third among all catchers in this skill, according to Statcorner.com.
9. Brian McCann, New York Yankees
McCann seemed more comfortable in his second year with the Yankees, improving his OPS from .692 to .757 and hitting 26 homers -- including the 200th of his career. McCann has a lot of respect from the team's pitching and coaching staffs for his diligent work behind the plate and the preparation he puts into each game. McCann, who turns 32 in February, also has eight straight seasons of at least 20 homers.
10. Devin Mesoraco, Cincinnati Reds
Due to a hip problem that eventually required surgery, Mesoraco was limited to only 23 games in 2015, and only six as a catcher. But he showed such promise in 2014, with 25 homers, that he still is well regarded among evaluators. His injury, a left hip impingement, is not common among catchers his age (27), and rival evaluators believe he must demonstrate again that he can handle the rigors of the position over a full season.
Toughest guys to leave off: Oakland's Stephen Vogt had an outstanding start last season, hitting .300 through the end of June and making the AL All-Star team. But the 31-year-old battled injuries and slumped down the stretch, finishing with a .261/.341/.443 line. Vogt started 89 games at catcher last season and had another 20 starts at first base, as well as 22 at-bats as a DH. … And finally, it was tough not to include the Cubs' Miguel Montero and Detroit's James McCann, who greatly impressed the Tigers' coaching staff.
Diamondbacks, Braves talking trade
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been pressing the Braves to trade them Shelby Miller, but Atlanta, like other teams, is undoubtedly aware of how thin the 2016-17 free-agent class will be, and has stuck to its asking price of center fielder A.J. Pollock, knowing there will be demand for Miller throughout 2016 and into the next offseason if he stays healthy.
Pollock is the most accomplished of the Arizona outfielders, but the Diamondbacks have a ton of depth at the position, with Ender Inciarte (who can play center field), David Peralta and Yasmany Tomas established at the major league level. Arizona also has prospects Socrates Brito, Gabriel Guerrero (Vlad's nephew) and Marcus Wilson. So the Diamondbacks do have outfielders to swap, and while trading the 28-year-old Pollock would hurt the everyday lineup, they could still go through the exercise of evaluating whether trading him for one of the top young starters available makes sense.
The Braves seem more locked in on adding players early in their major league careers rather than minor league prospects, which could be why Pollock is their target. He also would be a natural target for the Mets, who have a surplus of young starting pitching but a need for an outfielder capable of playing center field.
Zobrist check; Samardzija signing aftermath
John Harper writes that the Mets need to strike while their young pitching is inexpensive, and bid heavily for free agents like Ben Zobrist.
Zobrist is coveted by the Mets and other teams, Ben Berkon writes. The Mets' offseason hinges on the crucial Zobrist decision. Really, this could come down to whether the Mets are willing to give Zobrist a fourth year in their offer. The Mets are trying to make it happen, writes Marc Carig.
The Royals, meanwhile, would like to retain Zobrist, but he likely is priced out of their range, given their other possible needs, including a starting pitcher (in addition to Chris Young, who is expected to re-sign with Kansas City), and Alex Gordon, depending on where the bidding on Gordon goes.
Having landed starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija, the Giants are also pursuing Zobrist. While they still would like to sign Mike Leake, the price has to be right for them -- they won't overpay, from their perspective, to keep him -- and the volume of available starting pitching is so great that San Francisco believes it will get another durable rotation piece. (And that seems to be the Giants' focus: innings-eaters.)
The Giants surrendered their first-round pick to sign Samardzija, so it could make sense for them to double-dip, signing another free agent attached to a draft pick because it would cost them only a second-rounder.
The Giants are weighing their options, writes John Shea. Andrew Baggarly mentions Dexter Fowler as a possibility here. Angel Pagan is nearing the end of his contract and has had recurring injuries, so Fowler does make some sense.
Notables
• The Dodgers have discussed some of the available second-tier starters below Johnny Cueto, including Hisashi Iwakuma.
The Dodgers have many holes to fill, writes Pedro Moura.
• The Mariners want to keep Iwakuma, writes Bob Dutton.
• Sources say Oakland continues to look for starting pitching in addition to bullpen help, which Susan Slusser writes about here.
Other teams say the Athletics are devoted to the idea of trading Brett Lawrie.
• The Cardinals figure to be among the most aggressive teams at the winter meetings.
Dings and dents
1. Zack Cozart is optimistic he'll be ready for spring training after blowing out his knee last season.
AL East
• As the winter meetings begin, the Red Sox have already gotten a lot done.
• David Price brings the personality that the team needs.
• Five things to watch for with the Orioles at the winter meetings.
• Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins wants to fortify the Toronto rotation. The Jays also would like to add pitching depth at Triple-A.
• Matt Silverman of the Rays is developing a reputation for being no-nonsense, writes Marc Topkin.
AL Central
• The Tigers haven't closed the door on signing reliever Joakim Soria, writes Anthony Fenech.
• The Indians are ready to talk at the winter meetings, writes Paul Hoynes.
• Byung-ho Park has a home run cheer song.
AL West
• The Angels' C.J. Wilson expects to pitch at an All-Star level.
• GM Billy Eppler has been adding defense for the Angels.
• Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto is ready to finish some deals at the winter meetings, writes Ryan Divish.
NL Central
• Moves will happen for the Pirates and other teams at the winter meetings, writes Bill Brink.
• Pittsburgh has crucial needs to fill.
• Reds manager Bryan Price is ready for the challenge of 2016.
• The Cubs must now spend wisely what they have saved.
NL West
• Zack Greinke's success could withstand the test of time, writes Nick Piecoro.
• Arizona is making a strong push for relevance.
• Tyler Matzek is coping with some performance anxiety, and wants to be in the Rockies' rotation next season.
Lastly
• Some ins and outs at the winter meetings.
• Pedro Moura writes about the time of year when teams can get the best per-dollar value.
• We might know next year where the Rays could land.
• Mookie Betts bounces from baseball to bowling, writes Mike Organ.
And today will be better than yesterday.