San Diego Padres: Could a Trade for Salvador Perez Happen?

With the trade deadline approaching the San Diego Padres have to be looking at options who could be available at the catcher position.

As we keep saying on this site, the San Diego Padres have proven this team can compete with the best in baseball.

Now it’s time for the front office to go out and make a move to help put this team over the top and give them a chance to not only make the playoffs in 2020 but contend.

One of the biggest glaring weaknesses for this Padres team right now is at catcher.

Austin Hedges and Francisco Mejia have received about the same amount of playing time and neither has done well with just 7 hits combined in 49 at-bats.

In a normal season perhaps you let it play out a little longer and hope one catches fire, but you can’t afford to wait for that to happen in a 60-game season.

We have just a little over two weeks before the trade deadline and I have to believe A.J. Preller is on the phone looking for a catcher.

And perhaps that search lands him in Kansas City where one of the best catchers in the game is hiding.

Of course, I’m talking about Salvador Perez.

Now, before I get too deep into this, I have no confirmation that Perez is available or the Royals would be willing to trade him.

But, one thing we know is that the Royals are in a rebuild and aren’t likely to contend for a few more seasons.

Perez’s current deal with the Royals only takes him through next season, which would be his age 31 season.

I know the Royals really value Perez and his leadership on that team, but would they really be willing to extend a catcher in his early thirties for a team that likely won’t be competitive?

It would make a lot of sense for them to move Perez unless they really just value his leadership as part of their rebuild.

Why would the Padres want Perez?

Well, he’s won five Gold Gloves behind the dish and is currently slashing .329/.341/.557 with 4 home runs in 79 at-bats.

And he’ll make jus $14.2 million in 2021 before becoming a free agent.

At that point, the Padres hope Luis Campusano will be ready to take over the catcher position for them.

The price for Perez could be — and should be steep. You have to wonder just how much Preller would be willing to give up for what is a weird season.

But with another year of control in what we hope will be a more normal 2021 season, and a season the Padres should take an even bigger step forward, I think Perez could be worth the risk.