The Kansas City Royals were able to avoid arbitration with their star slugger Vinnie Pasquantino this offseason. They agreed to a two-year, $11 million deal that keeps the infielder in Kansas City for the next two seasons before arbitrations picks up again.
This is a huge deal for the Royals because Pasquantino is one of their best players. He’s quietly emerging as one of the best young sluggers in baseball alongside MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr.
The Royals should be pursuing a long-term extension with the young slugger, but this kind of deal will work for right now.
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MLB insider Jon Heyman recently announced Pasquantino’s two-year deal with the Royals, but Heyman also revealed that there were some very intriguing details in the slugger’s contract.
Vinnie Pasquantino’s contract comes with interesting details
Pasquantino is set to be paid $4.20 million in 2026 and $6.90 million in 2027. The slugger reacted on X/Twitter with a one-word response: “Nice,” he wrote on Tuesday. But there are incentives that boost the contract up quite a bit, according to Heyman.
Pasquantino will earn $200,000 if he reaches 450 plate appearances in 2027. He will earn an additional $200,000 for reaching 500 plate appearances and another $200,000 for reaching 550 plate appearances that season. It took Pasquantino 131 games to reach 550 plate appearances in 2024. After playing 160 games in 2025, the slugger had registered 682 plate appearances. If he can stay healthy, it shouldn’t be a problem to add on an extra $600,000 to his deal.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Pasquantino would earn an extra $4 million in 2027 if he’s able to win the MVP award. It’s unlikely, but his contract includes a tier system of payouts, meaning he will earn $3 million if he finishes from second to fifth, $2 million if he finishes from sixth to 10th, $1.5 million if he finishes from 11th to 15th, and $1.25 million if he finishes from 16th to 20th. He will also earn $1 million if he lands on the All-MLB first team or $750,000 if he finishes on the second team.
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