The Royals made two very different calls on their bullpen and rotation depth, exercising a 2027 club option on Tony Gonsolin while turning down Carlos Estévez’s $13MM option.
Gonsolin will make $2.5MM next year, giving Kansas City a relatively inexpensive arm to work with as it tries to piece together its pitching staff. From 2019 to 2023, he logged 375 2/3 innings for the Dodgers and posted a 3.19 ERA. During that stretch, he struck out 23.1% of hitters, walked 8.7%, and kept the ball on the ground at a 38.8% clip.
The last few seasons, though, have been defined more by rehab rooms than mound work. Gonsolin needed Tommy John surgery in August of 2023, which erased the rest of that year and all of 2024.
In 2025, a back injury sustained while lifting weights sent him to the injured list to start the season. He returned in April, made seven starts with a 5.00 ERA, then landed back on the IL with elbow discomfort before eventually needing internal brace surgery in August.
That surgery pushed him out of the Dodgers’ plans after the season, and he was still working his way back when 2026 opened. He didn’t sign until August, when the Royals brought him in on a prorated $1MM deal that also included the 2027 option.
He made four minor league rehab appearances, then got into one big league game. That outing went sideways fast: five earned runs in 2 2/3 innings.
An allergic reaction then sent him back to the IL in late September.
The stuff wasn’t quite where it had been during his better Dodgers years, either. His velocity sat in the low 90s, a few ticks below his earlier levels. Still, Kansas City is banking on the possibility that more distance from the injuries will help him settle back in next season.
That need is real. The Royals’ rotation depth is already going to be tested, with Cole Ragans, Stephen Kolek, Ryan Bergert, Luinder Avila and Ben Kudrna all expected to be recovering from surgery when 2027 begins.
For now, Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo and Noah Cameron occupy three rotation spots, while Randy Dobnak and Daniel Lynch IV are in the mix for the back end. Gonsolin gives them another arm to consider, and if workload limits become part of the equation, he could end up in the bullpen.
Estévez is headed the other way. Kansas City signed him to a two-year deal entering 2025, when he was viewed as one of the stronger closers in baseball.
His 2025 numbers were still solid on the surface, with a 2.45 ERA, but the underlying signs weren’t as clean. His strikeout rate dropped from 23.6% the year before to 20.1%, while his walk rate rose from 5.7% to 8.2%.
He also benefited from some favorable luck, with a .234 batting average on balls in play and a 77.6% strand rate, while his 3.67 FIP and 4.43 SIERA suggested more caution.
In 2026, injuries took over. Estévez made one appearance to open the season and was tagged for six earned runs in one-third of an inning.
He was struck by a comebacker, then placed on the IL with a left foot contusion. A rehab assignment brought more trouble when he suffered a rotator cuff strain.
He underwent surgery in September and his timeline remains unclear.
With that recent performance and health record, the Royals had little reason to commit $13MM for 2027. Estévez will now hit free agency with a $2MM buyout, and his next deal figures to hinge on how he comes back from surgery. He turns 34 in late December, which would land during the upcoming lockout.
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