Royals Have a Case to Keep Randy Dobnak for 2027

Randy Dobnak’s 2026 season gave the Kansas City Royals reason to consider keeping him as pitching depth. He threw 74.1 innings, the most of his major-league career, and finished with a 3.51 ERA. He also became one of the stronger options in the rotation during the second half of the season.

Dobnak’s approach relies on contact rather than overpowering hitters. They put 51.2% of balls in play against him on the ground, while his home-run rate was 0.85 per nine innings and his barrel rate was 4.6%. Many of his other measures were around or below league average, and his pitches were hit hard when batters lifted them.

His sinker was especially useful for producing ground balls, though opponents hit .302 against it and slugged .413. Batters hit .222 against his sweeper, but slugged .511. His five-pitch mix includes several offerings with movement similar to a sinker, while the differing movement of his slider and sweeper could give hitters contrasting looks.

The Royals would need to tender Dobnak a contract or reach an agreement before doing so. Estimates of his arbitration salary vary: Spotrac puts it near $2.5 million, MLB Trade Rumours around $2.3 million, and Just Baseball at $900,000. A pre-arbitration agreement near $2 million is another possibility.

Dobnak has worked both as a starter and reliever. Kansas City’s decision comes as it weighs the value of retaining an experienced depth arm for the 2027 season against the cost of a new contract.