Royals decline options on Rios, Guthrie
KANSAS CITY -- As expected, the Royals declined options on right-hander Jeremy Guthrie and right fielder Alex Rios on Wednesday.
The move will have financial benefits to the Royals' payroll: Rios made $9.5 million this season while Guthrie made $9 million.
Rios' 2016 contract would have been $12.5 million and Guthrie's 2016 deal would have been $10 million. The buyout for Rios was $1.5 million and the buyout for Guthrie was $3.2 million, meaning the Royals will save almost $18 million by not exercising the options.
Guthrie's option was a club option; Rios had a mutual option.
Rios, 34, batted .255 with four home runs in 105 games for the Royals this season, and he broke his postseason drought. The two-time All-Star played in 16 playoff games during the Royals' run to the title and batted .271 with one home run, six RBIs and six runs scored.
Guthrie, 36, was 8-8 with a 5.95 ERA and was not on any of the postseason rosters. In 2014, Guthrie went 1-1 in two World Series starts for Kansas City. Guthrie has a career record of 91-108 with a 4.37 ERA, and he's started 272 of his 305 big league appearances.