Eric Hosmer and Royals Agree on New Contract: Latest Details and Reaction

Eric Hosmer and the Kansas City Royals have avoided arbitration by reportedly agreeing to a two-year contract extension. 

According to Jeffrey Flanagan of the Royals' team website, Hosmer's deal will pay him a total of $13.9 million through the 2016 season. 

The team also reported Hosmer's deal on Twitter:

Hosmer's career hasn't taken off like most expected following a strong debut in 2011. He hit 19 home runs with a .799 OPS as a rookie but hasn't been able to match those power numbers in the last three years. 

However, during Kansas City's run to the World Series last October, Hosmer was fantastic. He hit .351/.439/.544 with six extra-base hits in 57 at-bats, per Baseball-Reference.com.

One reason for Hosmer's power outage during the regular season, per Jeff Zimmerman of FanGraphs, has been an inability to consistently hit the ball in the air:

Facing the prospect of an arbitration hearing in which the player and team must argue about value in front of an independent party, Hosmer told Andy McCullough of The Kansas City Star that "it's definitely not going to be fun."

Fortunately, the two sides didn't have to debate Hosmer's worth by coming to an agreement on a multiyear deal. He will be eligible for arbitration one more time in 2017 before being eligible for free agency the next season.

Since the Royals have lost some key pieces from last year's roster, including James Shields and Norichika Aoki, young players like Hosmer and Mike Moustakas have to build on what happened last October if the team hopes to make another playoff run in 2015. 

With Hosmer's mind off his contract, the young star can focus on spring training and getting ready to defend the American League pennant.