<table> </table> Don&#8217;t look for veteran second baseman Mark Grudzielanek to return next season to the Royals despite being offered arbitration just hours before Monday&#8217;s deadline.</p><p>Grudzielanek said he is &#8220;95 to 98 percent sure&#8221; that he will decline the offer and instead become a free agent eligible to negotiate with any team for a salary to be determined by the market.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going to be a little spoiled,&#8221; he said, &#8220;and try to go to somebody with a better (chance) to reach the World Series.&#8221;</p><p>Assuming Grudzielanek, 38, doesn&#8217;t change his mind before the 11 p.m. deadline Sunday, and succeeds in signing with another team, the Royals would receive a sandwich pick between the first and second round of next year&#8217;s new-player draft as compensation.</p><p>Grudzielanek, a 14-year veteran, could cost himself some money by looking elsewhere. He made $4.5 million last season and probably would receive a raise through arbitration after batting .299 in 86 games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.</p><p>It is uncertain whether Grudzielanek will make that much as a free agent even though he expects to be fully recovered by the start of spring training.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s time,&#8221; he said, &#8220;to take that chance.&#8221;</p><p>Grudzielanek spent the last three years with the Royals. He won a Gold Glove for defensive excellence in 2006 and was chosen in 2007 as the club&#8217;s player of the year.</p><p>&#8220;He has been a very productive player for us over the last three years,&#8221; general manager Dayton Moore said. &#8220;He still turns the double play, probably, better than anyone in the game.&#8221;</p><p>The Royals could find themselves in a financial bind if Grudzielanek changes his mind. The club&#8217;s payroll, without Grudzielanek, is already pushing $70 million, a figure Moore previously indicated as an upper limit.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll cross that bridge when it comes,&#8221; Moore said, &#8220;but we certainly have a budget that we need to work with &#8230; All I can say is I&#8217;m comfortable about what the outcome will be.&#8221;</p><p>The Royals retain some financial wiggle room if Grudzielanek accepts arbitration because arbitration-determined salaries are not guaranteed. Teams must pay only one-sixth of a salary if they release a player with 45 or more days remaining before opening day.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Spring schedule</span></strong></p><p>The Royals will play a franchise-record 36 games next spring in an expanded Cactus League before opening the regular season April 6 in Chicago against the White Sox.</p><p>The spring schedule, announced Monday, includes four open dates and features games against 13 different clubs. Cleveland and the Los Angeles Dodgers are moving their operations to Arizona from Florida.</p><p>The Chicago White Sox are also shifting their camp from Tucson to Glendale, where they will share a new complex with the Dodgers. The move means the Royals will make only two trips to Tucson &#8212; for games March 17 against Colorado and March 21 against Arizona.</p><p>The Royals&#8217; schedule calls for pitchers and catchers to report Feb. 13 to the club&#8217;s complex in Surprise, Ariz. The first full-squad workout is Feb. 18. The spring schedule begins Feb. 25 with a charity game against co-tenant Texas at Surprise Stadium.</p><p>The charity game will not count in the Cactus League standings.</p><p>The Royals open their Cactus League schedule Feb. 26 as the home team against the Rangers. The Royals will play at least one home game against each Cactus League opponent.</p><p>Season tickets for the Royals&#8217; 17 games at Surprise Stadium are already on sale and can be purchased by calling the Surprise Box Office at 623-222-2222. Sales of single-game spring tickets begin Jan. 3.