Royals Avoid Arbitration With Six At Deadline, But Pasquantino and Bubic Remain

[Kevin O'Brien]

Image courtesy of Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

On Thursday, the Kansas City Royals announced on social media that they had come to an agreement with six of their remaining arbitration-eligible players. 

According to Roster Resource payroll data, the following Royals players agreed to the listed salary amounts for the 2026 season. All agreed to one-year deals.

• Kyle Isbel: $2.7 million.
• Bailey Falter: $3.6 million.
• John Schreiber: $3.715 million. 
• Nick Mears: $1.9 million
• Michael Massey: $1.57 million.
• Daniel Lynch IV: $1.025 million. 

The inclusion of these six puts the Royals' estimated payroll at $150 million for the 2026 season. That is $12 million higher than their final 2025 payroll. 

That said, it's likely that the payroll amount will get even higher, especially with pitcher Kris Bubic and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino remaining without an agreement. Unless an announcement is made soon, it is likely that both players will head to arbitration. 

Maddie Landis of TalkSox and DiamondCentric wrote a pretty comprehensive review today of what arbitration means and how the process unfolds in Major League Baseball. 

Here is a key bit from Landis' article that outlines the next steps Bubic and Pasquantino will take with the Royals if no agreement is announced. 

Quote

 

If a player and their team can’t agree on a salary, they exchange numbers. The deadline changes each year and is outlined in the CBA. In 2026, it is set for Friday, January 9th. Players and teams can settle before their hearing dates, which take place between January 26th and February 20th, per the current CBA. Hearings take place in the Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg, Florida, or Phoenix, Arizona.

What separates baseball arbitration from other arbitration forms is that the arbitration panel must choose one of the two figures. Unlike in other forms of arbitration, there is no “splitting the baby” or reaching a midpoint. That said, players and teams sometimes agree to settle at a midpoint. 

 

MLB Trade Rumors made arbitration predictions in the offseason, expecting Bubic to command $6 million and Pasquantino to get $5.4 million. Both had solid seasons, but certainly had some issues that could explain why the Royals have balked at the players' initial asking prices. 

Bubic posted a 2.55 ERA, accumulated a 3.3 fWAR, and made his first All-Star team in 2025. However, he only pitched 116.1 IP and missed most of the second half due to a shoulder issue. Bubic will also be a free agent after the upcoming season, and he's been mentioned in numerous trade talks, suggesting he may not be in Kansas City's long-term plans. 

As for Pasquantino, he led the Royals with 32 home runs and 113 RBI. Conversely, he posted only 1.5 fWAR last year due to lackluster baserunning and defense at first base. For context, Isbel's fWAR was only 0.4 lower than Pasquantino's, and he's making half of Pasquantino's estimated amount. 

The last time the Royals had an arbitration hearing with a player was in 2023,  when they prevailed against Brady Singer. The former Florida Gator had a letdown year after the hearing, going from a 3.23 ERA and 3.0 fWAR in 153.1 IP in 2022 (pre-hearing) to a 5.52 ERA and 1.9 fWAR in 159.2 IP in 2023 (post-hearing). 

Hopefully, a deal can be reached soon with Bubic and Pasquantino to avoid hearings, which can often be messy and affect long-term relationships with players. 

View full article

[Kerry Flanagan]

I'd be surprised if the Royals and Pasquantino don't settle. They're only 500k apart and I get the feeling they want to keep Vinnie around- so its not worth damaging the relationship over what I presume could be splitting the difference to 250k additional. Royals and Bubic will likely not settle and will go to a hearing. Obviously highly unlikely Bubic will be a Royal in 2027 and probably not in 2026 (via trade), so not much reason to settle.

[Kevin O'Brien]

On 1/9/2026 at 6:25 AM, Kerry Flanagan said:

I'd be surprised if the Royals and Pasquantino don't settle. They're only 500k apart and I get the feeling they want to keep Vinnie around- so its not worth damaging the relationship over what I presume could be splitting the difference to 250k additional. Royals and Bubic will likely not settle and will go to a hearing. Obviously highly unlikely Bubic will be a Royal in 2027 and probably not in 2026 (via trade), so not much reason to settle.

I think something does get done before the hearing. As you said, it's not a tremendous amount, and I think they can figure out something. Vinnie definitely feels more likely than Bubic, who seems to be on his way out this offseason. Even if they figure something out, Bubic may not be around for much longer.