Jonathan Broxton agrees to deal with Royals

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. Houston Mitchell