Kris Bubic’s arbitration result brings Royals clarity for potential 2026 trade

Entering Tuesday, after coming to terms with Vinnie Pasquantino on a multi-year extension at the end of January, there was only one Kansas City Royals player remaining who’s 2026 salary was yet to be determined.

Kris Bubic.

But as Jaylon Thompson of the Kansas City Star pointed out earlier on Wednesday, the Royals and Bubic had had their arbitration hearing the day prior and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand later reported that Bubic had won his case and would earn $6.15 million in 2026 as opposed to the team’s desired salary of $5.15 million.

In the grand scheme of things, even as a small market team, a $1 million difference in pay may’ve been something to go to arbitration about but isn’t something that would likely affect their 2026 cap space or potential trade talks greatly.

However, there’s no denying that he’s their most valuable expendable asset, so regardless of the outcome, Wednesday’s news brought financial clarity for potential last minute trade talks for Bubic.

Will a clear-cut salary for 2026 help Royals trade Kris Bubic before Opening Day?

Again, when discussing $5.15 million and $6.15 million, there shouldn’t be much reason for hesitancy from a prospective trade suitor, as it’s not a massive gap like the Tigers and Tarik Skubal had before Skubal won and received $32 million for 2026 compared to the $19 million Detroit filed for.

However, given Bubic’s sudden rise to All-Star status in 2025 paired with his injury history both last year and in year’s prior as a Tommy John recipient, there were already resons for team’s to be wary about trading for him.

That being said, whether it was the biggest reason or not, it was a reason nonetheless and while entirely speculative, perhaps some teams would be more comfortable trading for someone when they know the exact financials on them, especially more penny-pinching small market squads.

Now comes the the question, is there still a deal to be made now that pitchers and catchers have reported and spring training is right around the corner?

The answer…perhaps. Spring training isn’t the most common time for trades to occur, but they have happened in the past.

And given some of the reports coming out of camp surrounding certain teams and injuries to their pitching staffs, there’s still plenty of teams that could use an arm like Bubic to bolster their rotations, even if he is in his final year of team control.

Now, as frustrating as it may sound for Royals fans this winter, it’s just a matter of waiting and seeing how things play out.