Pitcher Yordano Ventura has agreed to a new five-year contract extension with the Kansas City Royals. The deal is being finalized and is of course pending a physical.
According to Yahoo Sports, the deal is worth a guaranteed $23 million and has two option years. Ventura is under Royals control through the 2021 season. The extension and the two option years cover all of Ventura’s arbitration years and his first two seasons of free agency. Ventura’s deal is similar to Julio Teheran’s six-year, $32.4 million deal with the Atlanta Braves.
Ventura had a great year with the Royals in his rookie season last year. He was 14-10 with a 3.20 ERA last year, according to ESPN. He also had a 159/69 K/BB ratio. Ventura was recently ranked number 75 in ESPN’s BBTN 100.
Ventura is part of the Royals starting rotation which includes Danny Duffy, Edinson Volquez, Jeremy Guthrie, and Jason Vargas. He is scheduled to be the Royals starter on Opening Day on Monday. The Royals could announce the deal before opening day.