Extensions and Security
Before the games get going, the Royals are taking care of some important clerical work.
Most people don’t care about the business of baseball, but that business is important to get to the good stuff on the field. And since Friday, the Royals have taken care of some important business. It started on Friday with Cole Ragans signing a contract that was first mentioned as an extension but really isn’t. He has a three-year deal that includes the 2025 season and the next two years that are now guaranteed at $13.25 million total. I’ll get to that shortly. They also extended JJ Picollo through the 2030 season with a club option through 2031. And they also picked up the 2026 option on manager Matt Quatraro. All are meaningful and I want to dig into all three of these decisions.
Cole Ragans getting a deal was both meaningful and sort of a non-story. He was already under team control through 2028 and the Royals guaranteed him money through 2027. Before this deal, he was signed for 2025 with his pre-arbitration deal and then was set to enter his first three years of arbitration in 2026. I don’t know what would have to happen for his 2027 to be a year the Royals would consider walking away from him, but it’s certainly possible that an injury could drop his salary enough in arbitration for that season that this deal looks as bad as a low-money deal can look.