White Sox have discussed the possibility of acquiring Salvador Perez, according to report

The Chicago White Sox have a new man in charge, former Royals second baseman Chris Getz now operates the team as general manager. And he may be looking at acquiring a former teammate to turn the team’s fortunes around - Royals catcher Salvador Perez.

The White Sox have discussed the possibility of acquiring Salvy, according to a report from 670 The Score in Chicago. The eight-time All-Star still has two years left on his contract with the Royals and is owed $42 million over that time, plus a potential $2 million buyout on a $13.5 million club option in 2026. The report indicates the Royals are willing to trade their franchise catcher, according to a source. Perez has 10/5 rights, meaning he can block any trade, but reports at the trade deadline indicated he was willing to waive those rights for the right situation.

Getz was teammates with Salvy in Kansas City from 2011 to 2013. When hired, Getz discussed how he wanted to shape the culture for a clubhouse that was heavily criticized this summer for a lack of accountability after a disappointing season.

“We must see how the makeup of the players we have or want to acquire fit within the White Sox culture and in that clubhouse. That is very important to me and should be to any club.”

The White Sox organization has a lot of connections to the Royals. Manager Pedro Grifol served as a Royals coach from 2013 to 2022. Director of Player Personnel Gene Watson worked for the Royals from 2006 to 2020, rejoining the team in 2022 as the Vice President of Major League scouting. The report also indicates the White Sox have discussed pursuing free agent-to-be Whit Merrifield, who also played for the Royals from 2016 to 2022.

The 33-year-old Perez put up his worst OPS+ since 2018, hitting .255/.292/.422, but he still managed 23 home runs, third-most among all catchers. He still ranks poorly in pitch-framing and his caught-stealing rate plummeted to 14 percent, below the league-average rate of 20 percent. The White Sox will need a catcher to mentor Korey Lee, who they acquired mid-season from the Astros, with Yasmani Grandal likely departing as a free agent.