KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — All-Star catcher Salvador Perez will remain with the Kansas City Royals rather than become a free agent, agreeing to a $25 million, two-year contract that won’t be fully paid until 2034.

Perez’s deal announced Tuesday night includes $23 million in new money because it specifies he will not be paid the $2 million buyout of the $13.5 million club option for 2026 in his previous $82 million, four-year contract.

A nine-time All-Star, the 36-year-old gets a $7 million signing bonus payable in five $1.4 million installments each May 10 from 2030-34 and salaries of $9 million in both 2026 and 2027, with $2.5 million a year deferred.

The 2026 deferred money is payable $1 million each on May 10 in 2030 and 2031 and $500,000 on May 10, 2032.

His 2027 deferred money is pay

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