The Brewers traded Mears to the Royals on Saturday alongside Isaac Collins in exchange for Angel Zerpa, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Mears enjoyed the best campaign of his career with Milwaukee in 2025, finishing the regular season with a 3.49 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over 56.2 innings while also notching his first career save. The 29-year-old righty is unlikely to beat out Carlos Estevez and Lucas Erceg in the race for high-leverage opportunities, but Mears will inject some depth into Kansas City's middle-relief unit.
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Royals' Isaac Collins: Traded to Kansas City
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The Brewers traded Collins to the Royals on Saturday alongside Nick Mears in exchange for Angel Zerpa, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Collins entered the 2025 season as a relatively unknown player but quickly proved himself as a productive bat, slashing .263/.368/.411 with 54 RBI, 56 runs scored and 16 stolen bases over 441 regular-season plate appearances. His performance allowed him to take fourth place in NL Rookie of the Year voting. With Garrett Mitchell (shoulder) expected to return in 2026 and Akil Baddoo signing with the Brewers on Thursday, Milwaukee's outfield room was beginning to become crowded, so the team will now send Collins to Kansas City, where the 28-year-old outfielder should have a much easier path to regular playing time.
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Royals' Jose Cuas: Returns to Royals
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The Royals signed Cuas to a minor-league contract Friday.
Cuas spent all of the 2025 season in the minors after collecting a 4.37 ERA and 122:69 K:BB over 119.1 frames at the major-league level from 2022-2024. The first one-and-a-half of those seasons was spent with the Royals. Cuas should be ticketed for Triple-A Omaha to begin the 2026 campaign.
The Royals and Garcia (hamstring) avoided arbitration by agreeing to a five-year contract extension with a club option for 2031 on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Anne Rogers of MLB.com says the deal is worth a guaranteed $57.5 million and can reach $85 million if he hits escalators and the option is exercised. Garcia had been eligible for salary arbitration for the first time as a Super 2 qualifier, but his new deal with cover all arbitration years and at least one year of free agency. Slated to turn 26 in March, Garcia had a breakout 2025 season, slashing .286/.351/.449 with 16 home runs and 23 stolen bases while capturing his first American League Gold Glove award. The third baseman recently strained his hamstring while playing in the Venezuelan Winter League, but he should be fine for the beginning of spring training.
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Royals' Kevin Newman: Receives NRI deal with Royals
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The Royals signed Newman to a minor-league contract Friday with an invitation to spring training.
Newman managed just a .202/.209/.272 slash line in 56 games for the Angels in 2025 before eventually being released. The 32-year-old does still have a steady, versatile glove, but it will be a bad sign for the Royals if he winds up playing a lot in 2026.
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Royals' Lane Thomas: Links up with Royals
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Thomas (foot) signed a one-year, $5.25 million contract with the Royals on Thursday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
Injuries limited Thomas to playing in just 39 games with the Guardians in 2025, as he missed time at the start of the year with a wrist issue before plantar fasciitis in his right foot ended his season in July. When the 30-year-old was healthy, he struggled to produce at the plate, slashing just .160/.246/.272 over 142 plate appearances. Despite his struggles, Thomas should be able to capture a starting job in a Royals outfield that lacks depth following Mike Yastrzemski's departure.
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Royals' Jonathan India: Will stick to second base in 2026
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The Royals plan to keep India at second base in 2026 rather than playing him at multiple positions, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
India played third base and left field in addition to second base in 2025, and the Royals believe all the moving around could have affected the 29-year-old's offense, as he slashed just .233/.323/.346 in his first year in Kansas City. It was a bit of a surprise that Royals brought India back for $8 million rather than non-tendering him, but they're confident he can bounce back in his walk year.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Strains hamstring in winter ball
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Garcia suffered a strained hamstring Sunday while playing for Tiburones de La Guaira in the Venezuelan Winter League, Marcos Grunfeld of El Emergente reports.
Garcia will wait to hear back from the Royals about either returning to winter ball at a later date or shutting things down. At the very least, he is expected to be sidelined for the next week or so. Garcia had a breakout 2025 campaign for Kansas City, slashing .286/.351/.449 with 16 home runs and 23 stolen bases over 160 games.
Rodriguez signed a minor-league contract with Kansas City on Wednesday.
Rodriguez was cut loose by the Rieleros de Aguascalientes of the Mexican League earlier in November but managed to find a new opportunity with Kansas City. He played exclusively at Double-A during the 2024 season with Seattle's farm system, batting .241 with three home runs, 47 RBI, 10 stolen bases and 33 runs scored in 93 games.
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Royals' Jonathan India: Settles with Royals at $8 million
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The Royals and India avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $8 million contract, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
India was seen as a non-tender candidate after he slashed a disappointing .233/.323/.346 over 136 games in his first year in Kansas City, but the Royals ultimately decided to bring him back in his final year of arbitration eligibility. Slated to turn 29 next month, India played second base, third base and left field for the Royals in 2025 and could bounce around to different positions for them again in 2026.
The Royals are signing Lange to a one-year contract, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Lange spent his first five major-league seasons with Detroit and had his best year in 2023, when he logged 26 saves in 32 chances. However, the right-hander struggled in 2024 and was eventually sent down to the minors before suffering a season-ending lat surgery. The injury lingered into last season, and Lange pitched just one inning for the Tigers while spending most of the time after his recovery in Triple-A. Detroit released Lange on Tuesday, and he'll now get a chance to earn a role in the Royals' bullpen.
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Royals' James McArthur: Avoids arbitration
Rotowire
McArthur (elbow) signed a one-year, $810,000 contract with the Royals on Thursday, avoiding arbitration.
McArthur will officially remain with the Royals after missing the entire 2025 campaign while recovering from an elbow surgery he underwent last winter and a follow-up procedure he received in July. Once he's fully recovered, he'll likely take on a middle-relief role in the big-league bullpen.
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Royals' Steven Zobac: Protected from Rule 5 Draft
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The Royals selected Zobac's contract from Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Tuesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The right-hander missed time in 2025 due to a knee injury, which limited him to 14 appearances. Zobac spent most of the campaign with Northwest Arkansas and had a 7.68 ERA over 36.1 innings, but the Royals still elected to shield him from potentially being selected in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.
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Royals' Ben Kudrna: Added to 40-man roster
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The Royals selected Kudrna's contract from Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The 22-year-old righty spent most of last season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where he had a 4.21 ERA over 94 innings. Kudrna made four appearances for Omaha late in the season and struggled at the highest level of the minors with a 14.29 ERA.
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