Royals general manager Dayton Moore is still perfect in arbitration cases.
In the Royals’ first arbitration hearing with a player since Moore took over in 2006, the club defeated reliever Brandon Maurer on Friday morning. Maurer will be paid $2.95 million in 2018.
Maurer, 27, filed for $3.5 million in January, while the Royals countered at $2.95 million. The sides never came to a settlement agreement, and on Thursday a third-party arbitrator heard cases from each side during a hearing in Arizona. He ruled in favor of the Royals on Friday.
Maurer, acquired last summer from the San Diego Padres, posted a 6.