{"id":569597,"date":"2026-02-13T05:55:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T05:55:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/569597\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T05:55:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T05:55:23","slug":"kansas-city-royals-kris-bubic-gets-contract-update-before-mlb-season-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/569597\/","title":{"rendered":"Kansas City Royals’ Kris Bubic Gets Contract Update Before MLB Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the Kansas City Royals<\/a> prepare for the 2026 season, the focus remains on solidifying a pitching staff that has become one of the most promising young rotations in baseball.<\/p>\n

A key piece of that effort is left\u2011hander Kris Bubic, whose development has mirrored the franchise\u2019s upward trajectory. Bubic dealt with injuries early in his career but broke through in a big way last season, earning his first All\u2011Star selection and establishing himself as one of the league\u2019s more intriguing starters.<\/p>\n

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That progress was underscored this week with a notable arbitration decision. \u201cKris Bubic has won his arbitration hearing against the Royals, per source. Bubic will earn $6.15 million in 2026; the club had filed at $5.15 million,\u201d wrote Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The outcome gives Bubic a significant raise and financial clarity heading into a season that could further elevate his standing.<\/p>\n

The arbitration win is significant for both player and club. For Bubic, it represents financial recognition of his breakout 2025 campaign. After battling injuries earlier in his big\u2011league career, he finally unlocked the full potential scouts once envisioned. For the Royals, the decision confirms the value of holding onto a frontline arm at a cost that still projects as team\u2011friendly for a pitcher of his stature.<\/p>\n

Bubic\u2019s 2025 numbers provide context for his rise. The 28\u2011year\u2011old made 20 starts and logged 116 1\/3 innings, finishing with a 2.55 ERA and a 1.178 WHIP. He struck out 116 batters while keeping walks and hard contact in check, demonstrating improved command and sequencing that allowed him to work deep into games.<\/p>\n

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Earlier in his career, injuries and inconsistency stunted his progression despite flashes of high velocity and swing\u2011and\u2011miss ability. Last season, however, he put it all together, generating strong metrics across multiple facets of his game and earning his first All\u2011Star nod.<\/p>\n

For Kansas City, the timing of the arbitration decision matters. Knowing Bubic\u2019s salary and commitment allows the front office to plan around his role in the rotation without uncertainty. It also allows the team to continue building depth around him, whether that involves other young starters, bullpen reinforcements or strategic roster additions.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Bubic\u2019s continued growth will be central to the Royals\u2019 competitive outlook and returning to the postseason this year. If he can replicate or even improve on his 2025 performance, Kansas City could feature one of the most formidable rotations in the American League.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the Kansas City Royals prepare for the 2026 season, the focus remains on solidifying a pitching staff…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":569598,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2387],"tags":[75042,67567,5,936,2123,55,2596,2595,309,13815,4,252,2122],"class_list":{"0":"post-569597","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kansas-city-royals","8":"tag-arbitration-decision","9":"tag-arbitration-hearing","10":"tag-baseball","11":"tag-kansas","12":"tag-kansas-city","13":"tag-kansas-city-royals","14":"tag-kansascity","15":"tag-kansascityroyals","16":"tag-kris-bubic","17":"tag-mark-feinsand","18":"tag-mlb","19":"tag-royals","20":"tag-the-royals"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116061780399630678","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=569597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/569598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=569597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=569597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=569597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}