Way-too-early KC Royals Opening Day roster projection

Closing in on the end of winter, what better time to speculate on the potential roster construction of the Kings of Kauffman themselves, the Kansas City Royals? With mere days until players report to spring training, here is a way-to-early projection of the Royals' roster on Opening Day 2025.

Catcher (2) — Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin

Salvador Perez is the Royals' team captain for a reason.

At 34 years old, the former World Series champion and 13-year veteran added another 2.5 WAR to his potential future Hall of Fame total of 35.5 — 0.1 shy of Hall of Famer Roy Campanella and 6.7 behind Yadier Molina on the all-time Catcher WAR list. Posting the second-highest full-season OPS+ of his career alongside 27 home runs, Salvy will be both the captain of the Royals and their Opening Day starter until he or Father Time decides otherwise.

His compatriot behind the plate, Freddy Fermin, has proven a vital asset in managing the catcher workload as the Royals seek to give Perez more days away from the rigors of the position. At the age of 29, Fermin is only two years into his major league career, but he's already one of the most valuable defensive catchers in the game — his incredible +16 DRS in 2024 proves it.

Still, the ZiPS projection system forecasts a combined 2.5 WAR for Perez and Fermin this year, which would place them in the bottom third of both leagues. That's a very conservative estimate after their actual 5.5 value in 2024, so it's now up to them to prove the projections wrong.