Surprise, Arizona – The Kansas City Royals have announced a significant contract extension for one of their promising young talents, Cole Ragans. The team confirmed on Friday that Ragans has signed a new three-year deal valued at $13.25 million.

This contract will take effect this season and runs through 2027, allowing the Royals to secure two of Ragans’ arbitration years. Prior to this agreement, Ragans was classified as a pre-arbitration player, which means he was not eligible for arbitration this past offseason. Following this contract, he will have one more chance at arbitration before he potentially becomes a free agent after the 2028 season.

As per sources, Ragans received a $250,000 signing bonus and will earn $1 million in his first season of this deal. His salary will increase to $4.5 million in 2026, which is when he would have been eligible for arbitration, and then to $7.5 million in 2027. Notably, if Ragans, who placed fourth in the American League Cy Young voting in 2024, wins the prestigious award either this year or next, his 2027 salary will escalate to $8 million.

At just 27 years old, Ragans is emerging as one of the top starting pitchers in Major League Baseball, establishing himself as a key player for a young Royals team on the rise. Despite being under team control for the foreseeable future, the Royals’ decision to buy out arbitration years and commit resources to Ragans exemplifies their strategy to foster a contending team.

Ragans was acquired by the Royals just before the 2023 Trade Deadline, in a move that sent reliever Aroldis Chapman to the Texas Rangers. The organization was enthusiastic about securing a young pitcher like Ragans, who was a first-round draft choice in 2016 but had experienced setbacks due to two Tommy John surgeries during his minor league career. While his potential was apparent, there were uncertainties about his development.

The Royals certainly didn’t anticipate they were getting a future ace capable of anchoring their rotation. The team and the Kansas City community quickly embraced Ragans as he gained recognition with an impressive second half in 2023, boasting a 2.64 ERA and earning American League Pitcher of the Month honors in August.

He continued his success into the 2024 season, achieving a 3.14 ERA with 223 strikeouts over 186.1 innings pitched. Last year, Ragans made notable achievements, including his first Opening Day start, an All-Star Game selection, and his postseason debut, in which he pitched in Game 1 of the Royals’ first playoff appearance since 2015 against the Orioles in the AL Wild Card Series. Over two playoff outings last October, he surrendered only one run across 10 innings.

Reflecting on the playoff experience, Ragans remarked, "A lot of us who haven’t been in the playoffs got a little taste. That’s what you live for. We want to be the last team standing, holding that trophy and bringing a World Series back to Kansas City. Last year didn’t finish the way we wanted, so it’s about building off of that."

Having settled more thoroughly into the Royals’ organization during his second Spring Training, Ragans is eager to advance his personal performance this coming season. He aims to refine his slider—a pitch he integrated after the trade in 2023—which he believes will improve his effectiveness against left-handed batters, who hit .276 against him last season.

Additionally, Ragans is focused on reducing his walk rate, which was at 8.8% in 2024, with hopes that this will lead to more efficient outings and longer innings pitched. “Reaching 200 innings is a significant achievement, so that’s something I aspire to,” he stated. “It’s all about getting to the next batter—avoiding constant 3-2 counts and cutting down on those four-inning, 90-pitch outings now and then.”

As Ragans continues to establish his place within the Royals organization, he has developed a deep appreciation for Kansas City and its vibrant community, along with his teammates.

“It’s a pleasure to be around everyone here,” Ragans expressed. “The players that J.J. [Picollo], [manager] Matt Quatraro, [assistant GM] Scott [Sharp], and [CEO/chairman] Mr. [John] Sherman have brought in are remarkable athletes as well as exceptional individuals. It’s invigorating to be part of this environment, and I’m excited about what lies ahead.”

He concluded, “It’s an easy decision to show up and perform for this team. I truly love Kansas City.”

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