Right-handed pitcher Ian Kennedy is set to make $7.5 million in 2016, leaving the Royals with contract obligations of close to $120.5 million as the club prepares to report to spring training next month. As the Royals attempt to defend their World Series championship, the payroll now projects to bump up close to $130 million, the highest in team history.
The Royals have yet to announce the signing of Kennedy, who agreed to a five-year, $70 million deal earlier this month. But according to numbers reported Wednesday morning by MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, Kennedy will accept a back-loaded contract that pays him $13.