JUPITER, Fla. • One of the first teams to show an interest in Seth Maness this offseason is also the team that's giving him a chance to show baseball there may be a quicker path back from a ligament tear.

Maness has agreed to a minor-league deal with the Kansas City Royals, and the contract comes with an invitation to major-league spring training.

A source confirmed that Maness will make $1.25 million if he reaches the majors. He can also opt out of the deal in mid-May if he does not have a spot in the Royals' major-league bullpen. The righthander, set free by the Cardinals this past December, had been looking for a place that would allow him to prove he's ready and healthy for spring training.

For a time, teams believed he would miss 2017 entirely.