The Royals acquired Ragans from the Texas Rangers in 2023. KC traded away former All-Star reliever Aroldis Chapman in the deal. At the time, the Royals were intrigued with Ragans and his potential to be a front-line starter.

The Royals are giving one of their best young players a big raise and contract security, announcing a new three-year contract with starter Cole Ragans on Friday evening. The deal is worth $13.25 million,

Ragans gets a $250,000 signing bonus and salaries of $1 million this year, $4.5 million in 2026 and $7.5 million in 2027.