Royals sign trio of arbitration-eligible players

KANSAS CITY -- On Thursday, the Royals signed all three of their arbitration-eligible players -- left-hander Brian Flynn, third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert and right-hander Jesse Hahn -- ahead of Friday night's deadline to non-tender players.
Per a source, Hahn and Flynn each got one-year, $800,000 deals. Cuthbert's one-year deal was for $850,000. All three have $50,000 All-Star Game bonuses.
Hahn was acquired prior to the 2018 season from Oakland in the Brandon Moss trade. He missed all of last season because of elbow issues and underwent UCL repair surgery in late August. He is not expected to pitch again until late spring or early smmer.
Cuthbert also had an injury-plagued 2018 season, dealing with a back issue. He played in just 30 games in 2018, hitting .194 with three home runs.
Cuthbert thus remains on the 40-man roster and will compete with Hunter Dozier for the third-base job.
Flynn was a reliable bullpen arm in 2018, posting a 4.04 ERA through 48 games and 75 2/3 innings.

The Royals' 40-man roster remains full, though the Royals likely will clear space ahead of the upcoming Winter Meetings to make room for any transactions then, as well as participate in the Rule 5 Draft.
The Royals previously solved three other potential arbitration issues last month when they outrighted right-hander Brandon Maurer, right-hander Nate Karns and outfielder Paulo Orlando.
Maurer and Karns rejected the outright assignments and opted for free agency, while Orlando accepted a move to Triple-A Omaha. Maurer was the only player in general manager Dayton Moore's 12-year regime to go to arbitration last year, and lost, settling for $2.95 million (he asked for $3.5 million). In 2018, Maurer posted a 7.76 ERA in 37 games.
Karns spent all of 2018 on the disabled list because of elbow/forearm issues. He made $1,375,000.