Royals, Vinnie Pasquantino Avoid Arbitration

February 3rd: Pasquantino will make $4.2MM in 2026 and $6.9MM in 2027 for a combined guarantee of $11.1MM, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post. He will also get an extra $200K in 2027 for getting to 450, 500 and 550 plate appearances. His base salary in 2027 can also jump based on awards voting in 2026. It would increase by $4MM with an MVP win, $3MM if he finishes second through fifth in the voting, $2MM for finishing sixth through tenth, $1.5MM for 11th to 15th, and $1.25MM for 16th to 20th. He would get an extra $1MM for being selected All-MLB first team and $750K for the second team, though the max he can jump is $4.6MM.

January 30th: The Royals and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino will avoid an arbitration hearing. Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports that he and the club have agreed to a two-year deal worth more than $11MM, with a chance for him to max out close to $16MM via incentives. Exact figures have not yet been publicly reported.

Pasquantino just qualified for arbitration for the first time going into 2026. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a salary of $5.4MM. He was one of 18 players who did not have a deal in place through the arbitration filing deadline earlier this month. He and his camp filed at $4.5MM while the Royals filed at $4MM.

Most teams these days adopt a “file and trial” approach, which means they cut off negotiations of one-year deals after the filing deadline. This is to give them leverage in pre-deadline talks and also to prevent players from filing absurdly high numbers in an attempt to set out an aggressive bargaining stance. An arbiter can only pick the player’s or the team’s number, not a midpoint. Even if a team does have a “file and trial” policy, exceptions are made for deals that are longer than one year.

Arbitration hearings are generally viewed as a normal part of the business but occasional situations have occurred where the relationship between a player and a team have been damaged. Corbin Burnes said as much after his hearing with the Brewers three years ago. Pasquantino and the Royals have avoided that situation by agreeing to this multi-year pact, covering the first two of his three arbitration years. He will also be eligible for arbitration in 2028, before he’s slated to reach free agency.

There will now be no more than 14 hearings across the league this year. As mentioned, 18 players didn’t have a deal as of the deadline. Since then, Cade Cavalli, Bryce Miller, Joe Ryan and now Pasquantino have reached new deals to avoid hearings. The Royals still have one potential hearing on the docket, as they don’t yet have an agreement in place with left-hander Kris Bubic, who was projected for a $6MM salary. He filed at $6.15MM and the team at $5.15MM.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Lee, Imagn Images