Royals, Collins agree on new deal

Relief pitcher Tim Collins avoided arbitration when he agreed to a one-year contract with the Royals on Thursday.

The deal is worth $1,362,500, a raise from last season when Collins made $534,500.

Collins, a lefty, was part of the middle relief brigade that was among baseball’s most effective last season.

He went 3-6 with a 3.54 ERA in 66 appearances in 2013. He was nails early and late in the season, including a nine-inning scoreless streak from Aug. 26-Sept 23, but suffered through a tough July when he lugged a 7.27 ERA.

Collins is 12-14 with a 3.51 in 206 appearances in his three-year career. Collins’ best season was 2012, when he went 5-4 with a 3.36 ERA and averaged 12 strikeouts per nine innings. Collins is the second Royals player to avoid arbitration. Last week, catcher Brett Hayes agreed to a one-year deal worth $630,000. Hayes spent more of last season in Class AAA Omaha.

Six other Royals are eligible for arbitration: Luke Hochevar, Greg Holland, Eric Hosmer, Emilo Bonifacio, Aaron Crow and Justin Maxwell.

This story was originally published January 16, 2014 at 8:14 PM with the headline "Royals, Collins agree on new deal."