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MLB
Kansas City Royals 2026 Financial Summary
A current summary of Kansas City Royals 2026 player cap & cash figures.
RELATED:
Kansas City Royals Offseason Preview
Projected Total Tax
$181,905,858 / 17th
Projected Cash Payroll
$157,327,500 / 17th
2026 Active Roster
| Player (39) | Pos | Age | Type | Luxury Tax | Luxury Tax % League CBT | Cash Salary 2026 | Free Agent Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Witt Jr. Bobby Witt Jr. | SS | 26 |
Extension
Pre-Arbitration |
$26,252,525 | 10.76% | $13,000,000 | 2038 |
2 |
Lugo Seth Lugo | SP | 36 |
Extension
|
$23,000,000 | 9.43% | $23,000,000 | 2029 |
3 |
Wacha Michael Wacha | SP | 35 |
Extension
|
$17,000,000 | 6.97% | $18,000,000 | 2029 |
4 |
Perez Salvador Perez | C | 36 |
Extension
|
$12,500,000 | 5.12% | $6,500,000 | 2028 |
5 |
Garcia Maikel Garcia | 3B | 26 |
Extension
Arbitration |
$11,500,000 | 4.71% | $5,300,000 | 2032 |
6 |
Estevez Carlos Estevez | RP | 33 |
Free Agent
|
$11,100,000 | 4.55% | $10,100,000 | 2028 |
7 |
India Jonathan India | 2B | 29 |
Arbitration 3
|
$8,000,000 | 3.28% | $8,000,000 | 2027 |
8 |
Strahm Matt Strahm | RP | 34 |
Extension
|
$7,500,000 | 3.07% | $7,500,000 | 2027 |
9 |
Bubic Kris Bubic | SP | 28 |
Arbitration 4
|
$6,150,000 | 2.52% | $6,150,000 | 2027 |
10 |
Pasquantino Vinnie Pasquantino | 1B | 28 |
Extension
Arbitration |
$5,550,000 | 2.27% | $4,200,000 | 2029 |
11 |
Thomas Lane Thomas | CF | 30 |
Free Agent
|
$5,250,000 | 2.15% | $5,250,000 | 2027 |
12 |
Ragans Cole Ragans | SP | 28 |
Extension
Pre-Arbitration |
$4,416,667 | 1.81% | $4,500,000 | 2029 |
13 |
Schreiber John Schreiber | RP | 32 |
Arbitration 3
|
$3,715,000 | 1.52% | $3,715,000 | 2027 |
14 |
Falter Bailey Falter | SP | 29 |
Arbitration 2
Super Two |
$3,600,000 | 1.48% | $3,600,000 | 2029 |
15 |
Isbel Kyle Isbel | CF | 29 |
Arbitration 2
|
$2,700,000 | 1.11% | $2,700,000 | 2028 |
16 |
Erceg Lucas Erceg | RP | 31 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$2,000,000 | 0.82% | $2,000,000 | 2030 |
17 |
Mears Nick Mears | RP | 29 |
Arbitration 2
|
$1,900,000 | 0.78% | $1,900,000 | 2028 |
18 |
Massey Michael Massey | 2B | 28 |
Arbitration 1
|
$1,570,000 | 0.64% | $1,570,000 | 2029 |
19 |
Lynch Daniel Lynch | RP | 29 |
Arbitration 1
|
$1,025,000 | 0.42% | $1,025,000 | 2029 |
20 |
Marte Starling Marte | RF | 37 |
Free Agent
|
$1,000,000 | 0.41% | $1,000,000 | 2027 |
21 |
Lange Alex Lange | RP | 30 |
Free Agent
|
$900,000 | 0.37% | $900,000 | 2029 |
22 |
Waters Drew Waters | OF | 27 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
23 |
Kolek Stephen Kolek | SP | 29 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
24 |
Misner Kameron Misner | CF | 28 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
25 |
Rave John Rave | CF | 28 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
26 |
Collins Isaac Collins | OF | 28 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
27 |
Spence Mitch Spence | RP | 28 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
28 |
Tolbert Tyler Tolbert | SS | 28 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
29 |
Loftin Nick Loftin | SS | 27 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
30 |
Kudrna Ben Kudrna | P | 23 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
31 |
Jensen Carter Jensen | C | 22 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
32 |
Black Mason Black | SP | 26 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
33 |
Bergert Ryan Bergert | SP | 26 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
34 |
Cameron Noah Cameron | SP | 26 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
35 |
Zobac Steven Zobac | SP | 25 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
36 |
Cruz Steven Cruz | RP | 27 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
37 |
Avila Luinder Avila | RP | 24 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
38 |
Caglianone Jac Caglianone | 1B | 23 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
39 |
McArthur James McArthur | RP | 29 |
Arbitration 1
Super Two |
$810,000 | 0.33% | $810,000 | 2030 |
2026 Injured List
Salaries from players who have been placed on the injured list, still counting against the payroll.
| Player (1) | Pos | Age | Type | Luxury Tax | Luxury Tax % League CBT | Cash Salary 2026 | Free Agent Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Marsh Alec Marsh | SP | 28 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | - | $820,000 |
2026 Dead Money
Leftover salaries from players who have been traded or released, or buyouts for declined options.
| Player (1) | Pos | Age | Type | Luxury Tax | Luxury Tax % League CBT | Cash Salary 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Grichuk Randal Grichuk | RF | 34 |
Buyout
|
- | - | $3,000,000 |
2026 Luxury Tax Payroll Totals
Tax figures based on payroll data only. Outside revenue sources will be adjusted when available after the regular season.
| Competitive Balance Tax Threshold | $244,000,000 | |
| Guaranteed Contracts | $155,439,192 | 17th |
| Projected Pre-Arbitration Contracts | $4,100,000 | - |
| Injured Contracts | $820,000 | - |
| Retained Contracts | $0 | - |
| Player Benefits | $18,000,000 | - |
| Minor League Contracts | $2,700,000 | - |
| Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool Contribution | $1,666,666 | - |
| Projected Tax Payroll | $181,905,858 | - |
| Projected Competitive Balance Tax Space | $62,094,142 | - |
|
Projected Tax Bill
This team is currently a tax repeater at 20%.
|
$0 | - |
Glossary
First-Time Payor:
- 20% for exceeding by $20M or less
- 32% for exceeding by $20M-$40M
- 62.5% for exceeding by $40M-$60M
- 80% for exceeding by $60M+
Second-Time Payor:
- 30% for exceeding by $20M or less
- 42% for exceeding by $20M-$40M
- 75% for exceeding by $40M-$60M
- 90% for exceeding by $60M+
Third-Time (or more) Payor:
- 50% for exceeding by $20M or less
- 62% for exceeding by $20M-$40M
- 95% for exceeding by $40M-$60M
- 110% for exceeding by $60M+
Teams are considered “tax repeaters” when they exceed the threshold in consecutive seasons. They revert back to First-Time status after completing one season below the threshold.
Luxury Tax salaries are based on the Average Annual Value of all 40-man roster contracts, guaranteed contracts on the 60-day IL, retained salary from trades or releases, buried contracts in the minor leagues, a player benefits stipend, and the required pre-arbitration bonus pool contribution.
Players who are acquired or have contracts purchased during the season are calculated at a rate based on the amount of league days remaining in the season. If multiple years remain on the contract at the time of acquisition, the AAV is recalculated based on the total guaranteed money remaining.
Pre-Arbitration Players (0-3 years of service) are currently estimated at $820,000 ($40k above the $780,000 MLB minimum) Arbitration Salaries (3-6 years of service) are currently estimated based on the level of service (Arbitration 1-4), and Spotrac’s current Market Valuation for that player.
Player Benefits account for insurance, room & board stipends, transportation fees, etc…
The MLB Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool is a $50 million pot of money created in the 2022 CBA to reward top-performing young players (under three years of service time) who are not yet eligible for salary arbitration. It's funded by all 30 teams, split into award bonuses and a statistical pool based on a version of Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
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