KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Reliever Jonathan Broxton and the Kansas City Royals agreed Tuesday to a one-year contract that guarantees the right-hander $4 million, solidifying one of the league’s youngest bullpens and providing a setup man for closer Joakim Soria.

The agreement, which is pending a physical, also includes performance bonuses.

Kansas City was willing to take a chance on Broxton despite him being limited to just 14 games for the Dodgers last season because of elbow trouble. A two-time All-Star, the 27-year-old Broxton made $7 million last season as part of a two-year, $11 million deal.

“We are delighted to add someone as talented as Jonathan to our bullpen,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said in a statement.

Broxton will be introduced in Kansas City on Wednesday.

Several teams were interested in Broxton, despite the fact that he was just 1-2 with seven saves and a 5.68 ERA in 14 games for Los Angeles last season. Broxton was placed on the disabled list on May 6 with bone spurs in his right elbow that required surgery on Sept. 19.

He’s expected to be ready to pitch by spring training.

The Royals return their promising young starting lineup largely intact, but pitching was another matter. The rotation was spotty at best, and the bullpen squandered far too many leads before it could get the ball to Soria, who also had a down season.

That’s why Moore has spent the offseason remodeling the entire staff.

He traded outfielder Melky Cabrera, who was coming off a career year, to the San Francisco Giants for left-handed starter Jonathan Sanchez and another pitching prospect. Moore then signed free agent Bruce Chen — the Royals’ best starter the past two seasons — to a two-year, $9 million deal.

Now, the Royals have added a seasoned reliever to their young bullpen.

Broxton was an All-Star in 2009 and 2010 for the Dodgers, picking up the save for the National League in the 2010 All-Star Game. Since making his debut for Los Angeles in 2005, Broxton has gone 25-20 with 84 saves and a 3.19 ERA in 386 appearances.

His strikeout ratio of 11.55 per nine innings is the third-highest in the big leagues since 2005 among pitchers with at least 350 innings, giving Kansas City the kind of power-throwing arm out of the bullpen that the Royals lacked the last several years.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Reliever Jonathan Broxton and the Kansas City Royals agreed Tuesday to a one-year contract that guarantees the right-hander $4 million, solidifying one of the big league’s youngest bullpens and providing a setup man for closer Joakim Soria.

The agreement, which is pending a physical, also includes performance bonuses.

Kansas City was willing to take a chance on Broxton despite his being limited to just 14 games for the Dodgers last season because of elbow trouble. A two-time All-Star, the 27-year-old Broxton made $7 million last season as part of an $11 million, two-year deal.

“We are delighted to add someone as talented as Jonathan to our bullpen,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said in a statement.

Broxton will be introduced in Kansas City on Wednesday.

Several teams were interested in Broxton, despite the fact that he was just 1-2 with seven saves and a 5.68 ERA in 14 games for Los Angeles last season. Broxton was placed on the disabled list on May 6 with bone spurs in his right elbow that required surgery on Sept. 19.

He’s expected to be ready to pitch by spring training.

The Royals return their promising young starting lineup largely intact, but pitching was another matter. The rotation was spotty at best, and the bullpen squandered far too many leads before it could get the ball to Soria, who also had a down season.

That’s why Moore has spent the offseason remodeling the entire staff.

He traded outfielder Melky Cabrera, who was coming off a career year, to the San Francisco Giants for left-handed starter Jonathan Sanchez and another pitching prospect. Moore then signed free agent Bruce Chen — the Royals’ best starter the past two seasons — to a $9 million, two-year deal.

Now, the Royals have added a seasoned reliever to their young bullpen.

Broxton was an All-Star in 2009 and 2010 for the Dodgers, picking up the save for the National League in the 2010 All-Star game. Since making his debut for Los Angeles in 2005, Broxton has gone 25-20 with 84 saves and a 3.19 ERA in 386 appearances, all in relief.

His strikeout ratio of 11.55 per nine innings is the third-highest in the big leagues since 2005 among pitchers with at least 350 innings, giving Kansas City the kind of power-throwing arm out of the bullpen that the Royals lacked the last several years.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Reliever Jonathan Broxton and the Kansas City Royals agreed Tuesday to a one-year contract that guarantees the right-hander $4 million, solidifying one of the big league’s youngest bullpens and providing a setup man for closer Joakim Soria.

The agreement, which is pending a physical, also includes performance bonuses.

Kansas City was willing to take a chance on Broxton despite his being limited to just 14 games for the Dodgers last season because of elbow trouble. A two-time All-Star, the 27-year-old Broxton made $7 million last season as part of an $11 million, two-year deal.

“We are delighted to add someone as talented as Jonathan to our bullpen,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said in a statement.

Broxton will be introduced in Kansas City on Wednesday.

Several teams were interested in Broxton, despite the fact that he was just 1-2 with seven saves and a 5.68 ERA in 14 games for Los Angeles last season. Broxton was placed on the disabled list on May 6 with bone spurs in his right elbow that required surgery on Sept. 19.

He’s expected to be ready to pitch by spring training.

The Royals return their promising young starting lineup largely intact, but pitching was another matter. The rotation was spotty at best, and the bullpen squandered far too many leads before it could get the ball to Soria, who also had a down season.

That’s why Moore has spent the offseason remodeling the entire staff.

He traded outfielder Melky Cabrera, who was coming off a career year, to the San Francisco Giants for left-handed starter Jonathan Sanchez and another pitching prospect. Moore then signed free agent Bruce Chen — the Royals’ best starter the past two seasons — to a $9 million, two-year deal.

Now, the Royals have added a seasoned reliever to their young bullpen.

Broxton was an All-Star in 2009 and 2010 for the Dodgers, picking up the save for the National League in the 2010 All-Star game. Since making his debut for Los Angeles in 2005, Broxton has gone 25-20 with 84 saves and a 3.19 ERA in 386 appearances, all in relief.

His strikeout ratio of 11.55 per nine innings is the third-highest in the big leagues since 2005 among pitchers with at least 350 innings, giving Kansas City the kind of power-throwing arm out of the bullpen that the Royals lacked the last several years.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Reliever Jonathan Broxton and the Kansas City Royals agreed Tuesday to a one-year contract that guarantees the right-hander $4 million, solidifying one of the big league’s youngest bullpens and providing a setup man for closer Joakim Soria.

The agreement, which is pending a physical, also includes performance bonuses.

Kansas City was willing to take a chance on Broxton despite his being limited to just 14 games for the Dodgers last season because of elbow trouble. A two-time All-Star, the 27-year-old Broxton made $7 million last season as part of an $11 million, two-year deal.

“We are delighted to add someone as talented as Jonathan to our bullpen,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said in a statement.

Broxton will be introduced in Kansas City on Wednesday.

Several teams were interested in Broxton, despite the fact that he was just 1-2 with seven saves and a 5.68 ERA in 14 games for Los Angeles last season. Broxton was placed on the disabled list on May 6 with bone spurs in his right elbow that required surgery on Sept. 19.

He’s expected to be ready to pitch by spring training.

The Royals return their promising young starting lineup largely intact, but pitching was another matter. The rotation was spotty at best, and the bullpen squandered far too many leads before it could get the ball to Soria, who also had a down season.

That’s why Moore has spent the offseason remodeling the entire staff.

He traded outfielder Melky Cabrera, who was coming off a career year, to the San Francisco Giants for left-handed starter Jonathan Sanchez and another pitching prospect. Moore then signed free agent Bruce Chen — the Royals’ best starter the past two seasons — to a $9 million, two-year deal.

Now, the Royals have added a seasoned reliever to their young bullpen.

Broxton was an All-Star in 2009 and 2010 for the Dodgers, picking up the save for the National League in the 2010 All-Star game. Since making his debut for Los Angeles in 2005, Broxton has gone 25-20 with 84 saves and a 3.19 ERA in 386 appearances, all in relief.

His strikeout ratio of 11.55 per nine innings is the third-highest in the big leagues since 2005 among pitchers with at least 350 innings, giving Kansas City the kind of power-throwing arm out of the bullpen that the Royals lacked the last several years.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—Reliever Jonathan Broxton(notes) and the Kansas City Royals
agreed Tuesday to a one-year contract that guarantees the right-hander $4
million, solidifying one of the big league’s youngest bullpens and providing a
setup man for closer Joakim Soria(notes).

The agreement, which is pending a physical, also includes performance
bonuses.

Kansas City was willing to take a chance on Broxton despite his being
limited to just 14 games for the Dodgers last season because of elbow trouble. A
two-time All-Star, the 27-year-old Broxton made $7 million last season as part
of an $11 million, two-year deal.

“We are delighted to add someone as talented as Jonathan to our bullpen,”
Royals general manager Dayton Moore said in a statement.

Broxton will be introduced in Kansas City on Wednesday.

Several teams were interested in Broxton, despite the fact that he was just
1-2 with seven saves and a 5.68 ERA in 14 games for Los Angeles last season.
Broxton was placed on the disabled list on May 6 with bone spurs in his right
elbow that required surgery on Sept. 19.

He’s expected to be ready to pitch by spring training.

The Royals return their promising young starting lineup largely intact, but
pitching was another matter. The rotation was spotty at best, and the bullpen
squandered far too many leads before it could get the ball to Soria, who also
had a down season.

That’s why Moore has spent the offseason remodeling the entire staff.

He traded outfielder Melky Cabrera(notes), who was coming off a career year, to the
San Francisco Giants for left-handed starter Jonathan Sanchez(notes) and another
pitching prospect. Moore then signed free agent Bruce Chen(notes)—the Royals’ best
starter the past two seasons—to a $9 million, two-year deal.

Now, the Royals have added a seasoned reliever to their young bullpen.

Broxton was an All-Star in 2009 and 2010 for the Dodgers, picking up the
save for the National League in the 2010 All-Star game. Since making his debut
for Los Angeles in 2005, Broxton has gone 25-20 with 84 saves and a 3.19 ERA in
386 appearances, all in relief.

His strikeout ratio of 11.55 per nine innings is the third-highest in the
big leagues since 2005 among pitchers with at least 350 innings, giving Kansas
City the kind of power-throwing arm out of the bullpen that the Royals lacked
the last several years.



Former Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton has agreed to a one-year deal with the Kansas City Royals, contingent on Broxton passing a physical.

And that could be a stumbling block, considering Broxton did not pitch in the majors after May 3 because of a bone spur in his right elbow and had surgery to remove the spur at the end of the season.

In seven seasons with the Dodgers, Broxton had 84 saves and a 3.19 ERA. But he fell into disfavor after the emergence of Javy Guerra and Kenley Jansen, and following several postseason meltdowns.

The signing gives the Royals two potential closers in Broxton and Joakim Soria, who has been the Royals’ closer for the last five seasons. If Broxton is healthy and pitches well in spring training, the Royals could convert Soria into a starter or use him as trade bait.

Broxton’s agent, BB Abbott, said Monday that he had conversations with the Dodgers about Broxton but declined to say how far the talks advanced.

“He will not be back in L.A.,” Abbott wrote in a text message to The Times’ Dylan Hernandez on Monday morning.

And he was right.

MORE:

Daily Dodger in review: The real Scott Elbert arrives

Dodgers Web musings: Fodder, Prince Fielder, slugger James Loney

— Houston Mitchell

Photo: Jonathan Broxton with the Dodgers on opening day of the 2011 season. Credit: Christina House / For The Times.