Keller agreed to a one-year, $3.35 million deal with the Royals on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.
Keller isn't a spectacular starting pitcher, but he has proven to be a capable rotation stalwart. The 25-year-old righty has consistently beaten deserved ERA estimators. He logged a 2.47 ERA in nine starts last year, but his subpar 16.3 percent strikeout rate contributed to a 3.43 FIP. Keller's career 52.1 percent groundball rate helps him to get by without the ability to miss bats at a high clip.