KANSAS CITY -- The Royals avoided going to an arbitration hearing with one of their star players on Friday, signing first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino to a two-year contract worth more than $11 million guaranteed, sources told MLB.com.
The deal, which is pending a physical and has not been confirmed by the club, covers Pasquantino’s first two years of arbitration and can max out at $16 million with incentives, according to a source. He’ll have one more year of arbitration eligibility in 2028 before becoming a free agent in ‘29.
The Royals and Pasquantino didn’t come to an agreement on a 2026 salary ahead of the Jan. 8 deadline, so they appeared to be headed for a hearing some time in the coming months that would determine Pasquantino’s salary -- either the $4.5 million that Pasquantino filed or the $4 million that the Royals filed.
Now, that’s all settled with this new contract, and Pasquantino can head to Spring Training and the World Baseball Classic -- he’s committed to play for Team Italy again this year -- without any uncertainty. And the contract gives the Royals some payroll certainty over the next two years. Among the guaranteed contracts they have on their books beyond 2026 include Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez, Maikel Garcia, Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, as well as a club option for Carlos Estévez.
Pasquantino has blossomed into one of the Royals’ best players and part of the core they envision leading them now and in the future. The 28-year-old hit 32 home runs in 2025, becoming just the fourth left-handed batter in Royals history to hit 30-plus homers in a season, joining John Mayberry (34 in 1975), George Brett (30 in 1985) and Mike Moustakas (38 in 2017).
After missing time each of his first three seasons in the big leagues, Pasquantino stayed on the field for the entire ‘25 season, logging 160 games and 682 plate appearances while slashing .264/.323/.475 with 33 doubles and 113 RBIs.