The shortstop is seeking a significant contract in free agency.
Free agent shortstop Jhonny Peralta has been asking teams for a contract of four years, $56 million or five years, $75 million, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. That would be an average annual salary in the ballpark of $14.5 million.
Peralta is entering his age-32 season and is one of just two shortstops on the free agent market who figures to get a significant contract in free agency. The Detroit Tigers did not give Peralta a qualifying offer, which means he won't cost his new team a draft pick to sign. Stephen Drew, who was given and declined a qualifying offer by the Red Sox, is the other free agent shortstop of significance.
Peralta is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, as he had a ,356 wOBA and 123 wRC+ with a 3.6 fWAR in just 448 plate appearances before serving a 50-game suspension for his ties to Biogenesis. A four- or five-year deal might be a bit much for a player on the wrong side of thirty who might not be able to stick at short for the duration of his contract, but it would not be a shock to see him pull in the average annual value he's seeking.
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