The Kansas City Royals announced Friday that the club has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with right-handed pitcher Aaron Crow for the 2014 season, avoiding arbitration.

Consistent with club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Crow, 27, posted a 7-5 record last season with a 3.38 ERA (18 ER in 48.0 IP) in 57 relief appearances.  His seven victories out of the bullpen were tied for second in the American League, trailing only the eight victories by Texas’ Neal Cotts.

In his three-year career with the Royals, Crow is 14-10 with three saves and a 3.19 ERA in 187 outings.  He was named an All-Star in 2011 during his rookie season.

The signing of Crow leaves the Royals with just one unsigned arbitration-eligible player: right-handed pitcher Greg Holland.

— Royals Media Relations —

The Kansas City Royals announced Wednesday that they have acquired outfielder Carlos Peguero from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for a player to be named or cash considerations.  Peguero has been added to the 40-man roster.  In a corresponding roster move, left-handed pitcher Everett Teaford has been designated for assignment.

Peguero, 26, has spent parts of the last three seasons in the Major Leagues with Seattle.  Last season, he played in two games in April, going 2-for-6 with a homer and an RBI.  He ranked seventh in the Pacific Coast League with 19 homers in 2013, to go along with a .260 batting average (118-for-454), 28 doubles and 83 RBI at Triple-A Tacoma.  The left-handed hitting outfielder participated in the 2010 XM All-Star Futures Game at Angel Stadium, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored for the World team.  He is a career .195 hitter with nine homers and 27 RBI in just 219 plate appearances at the Major League level between 2011-13.

Teaford, 29, made one appearance for the Royals in 2013, pitching 0.2 inning at Cleveland on July 14.

— Royals Media Relations —

The Kansas City Royals announced Thursday that the club has agreed to terms on a minor league contract with right-handed reliever Jon Rauch for the 2014 season.  Rauch has been invited to Major League Spring Training.

The 35-year old began 2013 with the Miami Marlins, going 1-2 with a 7.56 ERA over 15 games.  He also made 10 appearances with Triple-A Norfolk in the Orioles organization, compiling a 2.89 ERA.

Rauch is 43-40 with 62 saves over 556 career Major League appearances since debuting in 2002.

— Royals Media Relations —

The Kansas City Royals announced Tuesday that the club has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with outfielder Justin Maxwell for the 2014 season, avoiding arbitration.  Consistent with club policy, terms of the contracts were not disclosed.

Maxwell, 30, came to the Royals on July 31 last season in a non-waiver deadline deal with the Houston Astros.  In 35 games with Kansas City, Maxwell hit .268 with five homers and 17 RBI, including a .313 average (15-for-48) and a .646 slugging percentage at Kauffman Stadium.  In KC’s home finale, Maxwell delivered a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 10th to beat the Texas Rangers, 4-0, on September 22.

The signing of Maxwell leaves the Royals with two unsigned arbitration-eligible players: right-handed pitchers Aaron Crow and Greg Holland.

— Royals Media Relations —

The Kansas City Royals announced Friday that the club has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with catcher Brett Hayes for the 2014 season, avoiding arbitration.  Consistent with club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

The 29-year-old Hayes had two stints with the Royals last season, batting .278 (5-for-13) with three doubles and a homer in five games.

He also hit .233 in 78 games at Triple-A Omaha, ranking second among Pacific Coast League catchers with 17 home runs.

Hayes was claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins on November 2, 2012.  He and his wife, Elly, reside in McKinney, Texas.

— Royals Media Relations —

The Kansas City Royals announced Tuesday that the club has signed veteran catcher Ramon Hernandez to a minor league contract for 2014. The Royals plan to announce all of the club’s Major League camp non-roster invitees at a later date.

Hernandez, 37, has spent 15 seasons in the Majors Leagues and is a career .263 hitter with a .327 on-base and a .417 slugging percentage for Oakland (1999-2003), San Diego (2004-05), Baltimore (2006-08), Cincinnati (2009-11), Colorado (2012) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2013).  His 757 RBI since the start of the 1999 season rank fifth among Major League catchers in that time, while his 169 homers are seventh-most among big league backstops.  He played in 17 games for the Dodgers in 2013, batting .208 (10-for-48) with two doubles, three homers and six RBI, before being released on June 22.

An All-Star in 2003, Hernandez hit .273 in 140 games that season for the A’s, belting  21 homers and collecting 78 RBI, helping the team to its fourth-straight postseason appearance.  He collected a career-high 23 homers and 91 RBI in 2006, his first year with the Orioles.  Hernandez has participated in six postseason series, reaching the playoffs with Oakland (2000-03), San Diego (2005) and Cincinnati (2010).

— Royals Media Relations —

The Kansas City Royals announced today that the club has acquired infielder Danny Valencia from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for outfielder David Lough.

Valencia, 29, split 117 games between Baltimore and Triple-A Norfolk last season, being recalled to the Major Leagues on May 19.  He hit .304 in 52 games for the Orioles with 14 doubles, eight homers and 23 RBI.  Valencia’s .553 slugging percentage was the fifth-highest in the American League among players with at least 150 at bats.  The right-handed hitting infielder batted .371 (36-for-97) with 14 doubles and four homers against left-handed pitching.  He also hit .350 (35-for-100) with a .580 slugging percentage after the All-Star break.

Valencia has spent parts of four seasons in the Major Leagues with Minnesota (2010-12), Boston (2012) and Baltimore (2013).  He’s a career .263 hitter with 66 doubles, five triples, 33 homers and 156 RBI in 335 games.  The fifth-year infielder has hit .295 (18-for-61) in his career at Kauffman Stadium with five doubles, a homer and 12 RBI.

Lough, 27, hit .286 with 17 doubles, five homers and 33 RBI in 96 games for the Royals last season.

— Royals Media Relations —