SURPRISE, Ariz. — Salvador Perez signed a club-friendly deal with the Kansas City Royals four years ago in part so his mother, Yilda, would no longer have to work in their increasingly violent hometown in Venezuela.
Now Perez hopes he can move her to the U.S. permanently.
The Royals signed the All-Star catcher to a contract through 2021 on Tuesday that guarantees him an additional $52.5 million over five seasons. The deal was announced two days after Yilda had her SUV stolen at gunpoint on the way to the market. She was unharmed and the vehicle was later recovered by police.
“It feels like a family here,” Perez said. “Hopefully I can play the rest of my career here, be one of these guys like Frank White and George Brett.”
Perez, 25, is set to make $2 million this season, the final guaranteed year of a deal signed in 2012 that included club options for 2017-19. His new deal includes a $6 million signing bonus, and salaries of $3 million next season, $7.5 million in 2018, $10 million in 2019 and $13 million each in 2020 and 2021.
“Every player is different, every negotiation is unique and we take them on a case-by-case basis,” General manager Dayton Moore said. “We felt this was something that would take place in time.”
Perez signed with the Royals as a 16-year-old but shot through the minor league system. He made his big league debut in 2011, became the everyday cacther the following season, and has been voted to the All-Star game the past three years.
He hit .260 with a career-best 21 homers and 70 RBI last season, helping the Royals to a second consecutive World Series appearance. They beat the Mets in five games for their first title since 1985, and he was the MVP.
Now he hopes to help the Royals win many more titles.
Perez is the second homegrown star to agree to a long-term deal this offseason, joining All-Star outfielder Alex Gordon, who signed a $72 million, four-year contract in January.
“The thing about him that’s so infectious about him is his love for the game,” Manager Ned Yost said. “He loves playing baseball. Everybody can sense it from his teammates to the fans watching him to the people that watch him on TV. His energy is off the charts.”
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