Royals, Bannister reach accord on contract

The Royals and Brian Bannister agreed to a one-year, $1,737,500 contract that avoided arbitration.

The dollar figure is an even split from the $2.025 million Bannister was asking for and the $1.45 million the Royals offered. Bannister’s contract also includes $25,000 bonuses for 200 innings pitched or making the All-Star team.

Bannister had a disappointing 2008 season, going 9-16 with a 5.76 ERA in 32 starts. That followed 2007, when he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting after going 12-9 with a 3.87 ERA.

He was 7-6 with a 4.47 ERA in his first 16 starts, and 2-10 with a 7.29 ERA in his last 16 starts.

The Royals have two remaining arbitration cases: Mike Jacobs and Mark Teahen. The club has settled every case it’s had in the three offseasons since Dayton Moore took over as general manager.

This story was originally published February 3, 2009 at 10:42 PM with the headline "Royals, Bannister reach accord on contract."