Around AL Central: Masterson’s contract, Santana could stay in KC & Mauer moving

Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Indians

The Detroit Tigers can sympathize with their division rivals when it comes to trying to work out long-term deals with their top pitchers. While the Tigers are deciding if they want to offer Max Scherzer a multi-year deal to alleviate some of the financial burden from the one-year, $15.525 million dollar deal signed to avoid arbitration, the Indians may be shelving plans to offer a multi-year package to ace Justin Masterson.

"According to multiple reports, Masterson filed at $11.8 million and the Indians were at $8.05 million. It means the Indians have work to do in order to avoid something they despise: an arbitration hearing. The Indians have not been to a hearing since 1991 when Greg Swindell won and Jerry Browne lost.   They don’t want to resume now, but a $3.75-million difference of opinion is not easily compromised, even in the big-money world of MLB. Jeff Passan, MLB columnist for Yahoo! Sports, tweeted Friday night that the $3.75 million gap is the widest among the arbitration eligibles who exchanged figures. – Dennis Manoloff, The Cleveland Plain Dealer"

Masterson is coming off a 14-10 season with a 3.45 ERA and 1.20 WHIP (career numbers of 49-45,4.25, 1.32) and, like Scherzer, will be a free agent after the season.

Follow the jump for news on the Kansas City Royals.