Royals Avoid Arbitration With Nicky Lopez and Brad Keller
The Kansas City Royals' quiet offseason continues from an outside perspective but internally, the club is working to provide some security for two of its own players. On Friday morning, the team came to terms with infielder Nicky Lopez and pitcher Brad Keller on deals to avoid arbitration for 2023.
Initially reported by Mark Feinsand of MLB Network, Keller's deal is worth $5.775 million for the upcoming campaign. Spotrac had his 2023 estimate at $6.56M, with MLB Trade Rumors slotting him at an even $7M in their October estimates. Keller is no stranger to avoiding arbitration, as he and the Royals agreed to a deal for $4.825M last year to ensure that neither side would have to go through the process. He played all year on that contract and then was tendered an offer by Kansas City once the 2022 season came to a close, subsequently buying some additional time for this to happen.
Keller had an up-and-down fifth season with the Royals, posting a 5.09 ERA across 139.2 innings and having a career-worst 6-14 record in the process. Keller split time between starting and pitching out of the bullpen, getting demoted to a relief role later in the year. His peripherals (4.50 FIP and 4.37 xERA) indicate that he could be due for a bit of positive regression in 2023, and this season will be a big one for Keller. He drew trade interest near the deadline a season ago, and an uptick in performance could cause that scenario to creep back up or even net him a decent deal on the free agent market in the future.
Per Anne Rogers of MLB.com, Lopez's 2023 contract will be for $3.7M. The smooth-fielding second baseman/shortstop went through the arbitration process with the team last season, getting awarded a $2.55M contract at the end of it. The Spotrac and MLB Trade Rumors estimates for Lopez's 2023 arbitration salary were $3.219M and $3.4M, respectively.
After having a breakout 2021 campaign, Lopez's production at the plate came crashing back down to earth in 2022. Across 480 plate appearances, the 27-year-old slashed .227/.281/.273 with a .251 wOBA and a measly 57 wRC+. His defense remained terrific and his positional versatility and leadership are both plus traits for the Royals, but it stands to reason that Lopez will be better suited to be a utility player than an everyday starter this coming season. FanGraphs estimates that Lopez was worth $9.9M last year despite his struggles with the bat, so he may not have too difficult of a time covering his $3.7M figure if things go as planned in 2023.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON UPDATES
- Per Feinsand, Kansas City and reliever Josh Staumont have agreed to a $1.025M deal for 2023.
- He also adds that Amir Garrett's 2023 figure is $2.65M, and Kris Bubic's is $2.2M.
- Feinsand later reported that reliever Scott Barlow is in agreement with the club on a one-year, $5.3M deal to avoid arbitration.
- Around 4 p.m. CST on Friday, Feinsand reported that relief pitcher Taylor Clarke and the Royals agreed to a $1.15M deal for 2023.
