The Royals non-tendered Clarke on Friday.
Clarke enjoyed the best season of his MLB career in 2025, turning in a 3.25 ERA and 0.85 WHIP alongside a 44:9 K:BB across 55.1 innings. Despite his success, the Royals will elect to let the 32-year-old righty enter free agency, where his breakout campaign is likely to draw some interest from bullpen-needy teams.