Keller, Mondesi avoid arbitration with KC

January 15th, 2021

The Royals announced that they have reached agreements on a pair of one-year deals with right-hander and shortstop to avoid arbitration. Kansas City did not disclose terms, but a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand that the deals are worth $3.35 million and $2.525 million, respectively.

With Keller’s and Mondesi’s deals, the Royals have reached agreements with all of their arbitration-eligible players. Both Keller and Mondesi are in their first year of arbitration eligibility.

Keller, 25, is entering his fourth big league season and has been a mainstay of the Royals’ rotation since moving there from the bullpen midway through the 2018 campaign. A ground-ball specialist, Keller posted solid numbers during the abbreviated ’20 season, finishing with a 2.47 ERA, 3.43 FIP and just two home runs allowed across nine starts. Keller owns a career 21-23 record and 3.50 ERA across 78 big league appearances (including 57 starts) with Kansas City.

Mondesi, 25, is entering the sixth full season of his Royals career after making his big league debut during the 2015 postseason. The speedy infielder led the Majors last season with 24 stolen bases, just one year after he led the sport with 10 triples. Overall, Mondesi posted a .256/.294/.416 batting line with six homers across 59 games in '20. He is a career .251 hitter with 113 steals across 308 games in a Kansas City uniform.