KANSAS CITY -- The Royals avoided going to an arbitration hearing with one of their star players by signing first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino to a two-year contract, the club announced Friday night.
The deal, which covers Pasquantino’s first two years of arbitration, is worth more than $11 million guaranteed, sources told MLB.com, and can max out close to $16 million with incentives.
According to a source, Pasquantino will make around $4.2 million in 2026 and around $6.9 million in ‘27, with escalators based on plate appearances, as well as end-of-season accomplishments like MVP voting and All-MLB First and Second Team.
He’ll have one more year of arbitration eligibility in 2028 before becoming a free agent in ‘29.
While it’s not a long-term extension, securing Pasquantino’s short-term future and avoiding an arbitration hearing is welcome news for both the club and Pasquantino, who has blossomed into one of the Royals’ best players and has become a fan favorite. In fact, the Royals also announced Friday that Pasquantino will be making an appearance at Royals Rally on Saturday, the club’s one-day fanfest at Kauffman Stadium. He was previously not listed among the attending players.
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 more payroll stability 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.
All of those names are key figures for a team eying postseason contention, and Pasquantino is a huge part of that group. He has become a clubhouse leader and key 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). Pasquantino’s 32 homers tied for 10th most in the American League last season, and his 113 RBIs ranked third -- while also recording the ninth-most RBIs by a Royal in a single season.
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. He earned American League Player of the Week honors twice in 2025, from June 2-8 and Aug. 18-24.
The Royals still have one unresolved arbitration case: Left-hander Kris Bubic didn’t come to an agreement ahead of the deadline earlier this month either, and he is likely still headed for a hearing. Bubic filed at $6.15 million, while the Royals filed at $5.15 million.