Report: Royals, Pasquantino agree to 2-year deal to avoid arbitratation

The Kansas City Royals and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a two-year contract worth more than $11 million in guaranteed money, sources told Anne Rogers of MLB.com.

The agreement includes incentive clauses that can increase Pasquantino's earnings to nearly $16 million, Rogers adds.

Pasquantino and the Royals had been slated to go to an arbitration hearing in the next few weeks after failing to agree on a contract before the Jan. 8 deadline. He filed at $4.5 million, while the team countered at $4 million.

Instead, the sides seem to have found common ground with a multi-year agreement that covers his first two years of arbitration. Barring another extension, Pasquantino will again go through the arbitration process when his new deal expires in 2028, his final season before free agency.

The 28-year-old is coming off a solid campaign for the Royals that saw him emerge as a bona fide power threat in spacious Kauffman Stadium. He slashed .264/.323/.475 while setting career highs in home runs (32) and RBIs (113) across 682 plate appearances.

Pasquantino's reported agreement leaves left-hander Kris Bubic as Kansas City's lone arbitration-eligible player still without a contract. Bubic, who's in his third year of arbitration, is asking for $6.15 million, while the Royals countered by filing at $5.15 million.