KANSAS CITY -- The Royals have been searching for starting-pitching depth, and they believe they found it with left-hander Mike Minor, whose signing became official on Tuesday.

Minor¡¯s deal is for two years at $18 million guaranteed, plus a $13 million club option for 2023, a source told MLB.com. The buyout is at $1 million. Minor will be paid $7 million in '21 and $10 million in '22.

In a corresponding roster move, the Royals designated right-handed pitcher Carlos Sanabria for assignment, whom they picked up off waivers Oct. 30 from the Astros.

Minor, 32, pitched for the Royals in 2017 after signing a two-year deal with Kansas City in '16. He spent most of that season rehabbing from left shoulder surgery, but he pitched in 10 games between Triple-A Omaha and Double-A Northwest Arkansas and posted a 5.74 ERA.

¡°We have a history with Mike, a history we felt really was important,¡± Royals general manager Dayton Moore said in a Zoom call. ¡°He has great trust in us, our medical people, our staff. With our need for [a] starting pitcher, it really lined up.

¡°We needed to add a veteran to our young rotation. He provides stability and innings. It¡¯s a really good fit.¡±

Minor said in a Zoom call Wednesday that it was an easy decision to come back to Kansas City.

¡°The time I was there, going through the rehab process, I thought everyone treated me well,¡± Minor said. ¡°I felt like I didn¡¯t deserve that as much because I wasn¡¯t pitching [that first season]. A lot of other people in other organizations might have thrown me to the side.

¡°But I thought Dayton was very honest with me at the time, as well as [assistant general manager] Jin [Wong]. It was a good group there. Good fans, good city, and I liked everything about it. It was kind of an easy decision. I had some other teams interested, but Kansas City came after me pretty hard, and I didn¡¯t want to pass this up.¡±

Minor¡¯s velocity with the Royals dipped slightly last year. His four-seamer averaged 92.5 mph in 2019, but it was down to 90.6 mph in '20.

Moore said that drop wasn¡¯t a concern.

¡°His spin rates are really good on his fastball,¡± Moore said. ¡°We¡¯re not concerned about that [drop]. The important thing is you make pitches. We have great confidence in him. He is one of the better starting pitchers available this offseason. It¡¯s just a natural fit.¡±

Minor¡¯s explanation for the velo drop?

¡°It was a tough year for everybody,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t get off to a good start, and by the time I got into a rhythm the season was over ... A two-month season wasn¡¯t long enough to evaluate.

¡°Last year, I didn¡¯t feel that great. My body was tight. The ball wasn¡¯t coming out, my [arm mechanics] weren¡¯t whippy. ... But toward the end, I started working on things mechanically. My velo started going up, and then the season was over.¡±

Minor was a successful reliever for the Royals in 2017, appearing in 65 games while recording a 2.55 ERA. Minor even served in the closer role down the stretch that season, saving six straight games without allowing a run to finish the regular season.

But the left-hander viewed himself as a starter and signed a three-year deal with Texas prior to the 2018 season. In 32 starts in '19, Minor went 14-10 with a 3.59 ERA. He was traded this August to Oakland, where he made five appearances (four starts) with a 5.48 ERA.

The Royals have been searching for starting-pitching depth, and Moore said a bullpen role for Minor was not discussed during negotiations, though Moore acknowledged how effective Minor was in a late-inning role previously.

¡°Mike is committed to a big workload,¡± Moore said. ¡°He threw over 200 innings in 2019 with 200 strikeouts, I believe. We just feel really good about how he blends in with the young starters we have on the horizon.¡±

The Royals' rotation entering Spring Training likely would consist of Brad Keller, Danny Duffy, Brady Singer, Minor and Kris Bubic.

¡°It¡¯s a good mix of young pitchers and experienced,¡± Moore said.