Jin Wong Answers Questions About the Salvador Perez Signing

I just got off the phone with Jin Wong and he was kind enough to answer a few questions on the extension of Salvador Perez.

First, I asked him about which side approach who for the deal. He did not exactly know for sure since the team, the player and the player's agent are constantly in contact. He knows that Dayton Moore had a desire to lock him up for a while. Wong said that the Royals and Perez began the discussions on the contract before February 19th when the head office moved operations to Arizona.

Then I asked him if there was any deals like this one in the future. He said the Royals would love to as many of these deals in place if it makes sense for the team and the player. The key is for both sides to want to have a new long term deal. In Perez's instance, both sides could find a middle ground.

Finally, I asked him how the Royals were able give a player with little MLB experience a long guaranteed deal. Much of the team's decision was based on input from scouts. He said it is tough to statistically analyze all the aspects of a catcher. The team mainly used player comparisons to look for similar catchers and how they ended up performing. The team believes Perez is good defensive catcher and good in the clubhouse. They expect his defense and offense to improve in the future.