Friday is the final major date on baseball’s hectic offseason and pre-spring training schedule. The end of another work week is the deadline for arbitration-eligible players and clubs that haven’t reached an agreement on 2024 contract terms to exchange salary proposals. And unless the Kansas City Royals and four of their pitchers reach an agreement by Friday, they’ll be set for late January or February arbitration hearings.
Returning Kansas City pitchers Brady Singer and Carlos Hernández, as well as newcomers Nick Anderson and Kyle Wright, remain unsigned as of this writing. Pitchers Kris Bubic and Josh Taylor have already agreed to avoid arbitration with the Royals, who have a history of avoiding the process through negotiation.
Before trading reliever Taylor Clarke, the club agreed to a 2024 contract with him.
In mid-December, they traded Edward Olivares to the Pirates for Deivis Nadal, but they didn’t agree on new terms with Taylor Hearn or Josh Staumont before they rejected outright assignments to Triple-A Omaha and became free agents. Staumont has since signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
So, what does the arbitration process have in store for the four unsigned Royals?
