Kansas City Royals Offseason Tracker: Hottest Free Agency News, Trade Rumors
For as disappointed as Kansas City is that the Kansas City Royals fell short in their quest for the franchise's first World Series crown in 29 years, fans should be proud of the team's performance and optimistic about its chances to continue having success in the future.
That said, changes are coming for the American League champions, as a number of key players, including staff ace James Shields—whom the team will try and re-sign, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman—are heading for free agency, while a handful of others are due significant raises through arbitration.
General manager Dayton Moore will be a busy man this winter, trying to keep the core of his club intact and plug some holes despite the payroll limitations that come along with being a small-market club.
Keep it here for the most up-to-the-minute rumblings about the Royals, along with analysis and everything else that comes with it. While the post date will always show as October 31, simply click to the next slide to see the latest from the rumor mill as the club prepares to mount a defense of the pennant in 2015.
Kansas City's Free Agents and Done Deals
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All the juicy rumors and analysis follow, but consider this your one-stop shop for all the comings and goings in Kansas City this winter, including the status of the team's free agents.
Done Deals
Nov. 12: Signed IF Ryan Roberts and LHP Joe Paterson to minor-league deals with spring training invites
Nov. 26: Acquired IF Ryan Jackson from the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash considerations
Nov. 28: Re-signed RP Jason Frasor to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2016
Nov. 28: Traded RHP Aaron Crow to the Miami Marlins in exchange for LHP Brian Flynn and RHP Reid Redman
Dec. 3: Re-signed RHP Luke Hochevar to a two-year, $10 million deal
Dec. 15: Signed RHP Yohan Pino to a one-year deal
Dec. 15: Signed OF Alex Rios to a one-year, $11 million deal (Analysis)
Dec. 17: Signed RHP Edinson Volquez to a two-year, $20 million deal (Analysis)
Dec. 18: Signed RHP Kris Medlen to a two-year, $8.5 million deal (Analysis)
Dec. 19: Traded IF Johnny Giavotella to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for RHP Brian Broderick
Royals Free Agents
OF Norichika Aoki
LHP Francisley Bueno (Dec. 2: Non-Tendered)
DH Billy Butler (Nov. 1: Declined $12.5 million team option; Nov. 18: Signed a three-year, $30 million deal with Oakland)
RP Wade Davis (Nov. 2: Picked up $7 million team option)
RP Scott Downs
RP Jason Frasor (Nov. 28: Re-signed)
RP Luke Hochevar (Dec. 3: Re-signed)
DH Raul Ibanez
IF Jayson Nix (Nov. 24: Refused minor-league assignment)
OF Carlos Peguero (Dec. 20: Team requested release waivers)
SP James Shields
OF/DH Josh Willingham (Nov. 24: Announced retirement)
Dec. 18: Signed RHP Kris Medlen
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Age: 29
2014 Stats (ATL): Injured, did not pich
Contract Status: Two years, $8.5 million
The Royals continue to address their rotation, landing Kris Medlen on a more-than-reasonable two-year deal with a $10 million mutual option for 2018.
Medlen missed all of the 2014 season after undergoing the second Tommy John surgery of his career, but was one of Atlanta's best pitchers from 2012-2013, going a combined 12-6 with a 2.47 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 82 games (43 starts).
If his surgically repaired elbow can hold up, this has the potential to be one of the biggest steals of the winter.
Dec. 17: Signed RHP Edinson Volquez
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Age: 31
2014 Stats (PIT): 32 G (31 GS), 13-7, 3.04 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 192.2 IP, 166 H, 3.3 BB/9, 6.5 K/9
Contract Status: Two years, $20 million
With no real way to add a front-line starter like James Shields to the mix this winter, the Royals have decided that their best option to replace their soon-to-be-departed ace is to bolster the middle of the rotation.
For Edinson Volquez is, at best, a mid-rotation arm.
Sure, his 2014 numbers are good, but it's important to note where he put those numbers up—in Pittsburgh, home of not only the most pitcher-friendly ballpark in baseball, but an organization that, under manager Clint Hurdle's tenure, has done a remarkable job of turning mediocre arms into studs.
Neither the Royals nor Kauffman Stadium can claim the same.
Consider this: While playing for the San Diego Padres in 2013, Volquez made 17 appearances (16 starts) at home in cavernous Petco Park, also one of the premier pitcher's parks in baseball. He pitched to a 5.50 ERA and 1.52 WHIP, and allowed more home runs there (11) then he did on the road (eight).
Think about that for a second: Volquez got routinely shelled at Petco Park.
Could Volquez put up numbers like he did in Pittsburgh last season for the Royals moving forward? Sure he could.
But given his erratic history, that seems highly unlikely.
Aside from the price—$10 million a year is a relative bargain in today's pitching market—there's not much to like about this signing.
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Dec. 15: Signed OF Alex Rios
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Age: 33
Bats: R
2014 Stats (TEX): .280/.311/.398, 42 XBH (4 HR), 54 RBI
Contract Status: One year, $11 million
Kansas City has found its replacement for Nori Aoki in right field, signing two-time All-Star Alex Rios to a one-year deal.
The 11-year veteran, who will be 34 years old on Opening Day, had a stellar first half of the 2014 season (.305/.333/.440) before falling apart after the All-Star Break, mustering only a .211/.246/.281 slash line.
While his power disappeared in 2014, Rios averaged 17 home runs a year from 2006 to 2013—and clearly, the Royals believe he can regain that power stroke, just as they believe that Kendrys Morales can return to his former All-Star form.
A career .278 hitter, Rios has put up solid numbers at Kauffman Stadium with a .271/.335/.429 slash line and 20 extra-base hits (five HR) over 230 plate appearances.
Dec. 11: Signed 1B/DH Kendrys Morales
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Age: 31
Bats: S
2014 Stats (MIN/SEA): .218/.274/.338, 28 XBH (8 HR), 42 RBI
Contract Status: Two years, $17.5 million
We've been wondering how the Royals planned on replacing Billy Butler and we've got our answer—in a reclamation project named Kendrys Morales.
Look, there's no way to sugarcoat Morales' play in 2014—he sucked. Absolutely sucked.
But it's easy to forget that he sat out until June before signing with Minnesota, unable to land the multi-year deal that he sought. And it's also easy to forget that, before last year, he was a pretty darn good ballplayer.
From 2009-2013, an average season from the switch hitter saw him post a .286/.339/.494 slash line with 22 home runs and 75 RBI.
When you consider that he missed all of the 2012 season (and only played in 59 games in 2011 due to a freak leg injury suffered when he was celebrating a home run), those numbers would likely have been better than they are.
For comparison's sake, Butler's average season over the same timeframe? A .302/.372/.469 slash line with 20 home runs and 91 RBI.
Those are pretty darn close, folks. And if the Royals are correct in betting that Morales, with a full spring training behind him, can get back to his prior form, well, let's just say that Royals fans won't be bemoaning the loss of "Country Breakfast" for too long.
Wade Davis and Greg Holland Are Available (And so Is Herrera)
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Update: Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 3:50 p.m. ET
While the Royals would prefer to not break up their late-inning trio of Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera and Greg Holland, teams tell ESPN's Jayson Stark that they would consider it if doing so bought them a controllable piece—either an impact right fielder or a starting pitcher—that was under team control past this coming season.
--End of Update--
Update: Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 1:16 p.m. ET
Andy McCullough of The Kansas City Star is hearing from multiple executives that the Royals are telling teams that Davis, Herrera and Holland are not available, contrary to previous reports.
--End of Update--
Monday, Dec. 8 at 11:35 a.m. ET
"...but they’re asking for a lot in return,” sources tell the Toronto Sun's Bob Elliott.
It's unlikely that the Royals would move both, but with Davis, Holland and Kelvin Herrera in the fold, the team apparently feels that it could afford to lose one of them if the return was great enough.
Holland, who has successfully converted 93-of-98 save opportunities since the start of the 2013 season, held opposing batters to a meager .170/.238/.274 slash line last season. He's due a substantial raise from his $4.675 million salary in 2014 in his second year of arbitration.
Davis was even more impressive, going 9-2 with a 1.00 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, averaging nearly 14 strikeouts per nine innings of work and finishing eighth in the AL Cy Young Award voting. Kansas City already picked up his $7.5 million option for 2015 and holds the same option on him again in 2016.
Royals Have Made Omar Infante Available
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Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 1:35 p.m. ET
Sources tell Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal that the Royals have let teams know that infielder Omar Infante is available.
It's a bit of a puzzling move, considering that the club is only one year into the four-year, $30.25 million deal that they signed him to last winter, but moving him could free up some spending cash for the Royals this winter.
Infante, 32, was a bit of a disappointment for the Royals in 2014, hitting only .252/.295/.337, but he provided adequate defense up-the-middle.
Prospect Christian Colon would appear to be next-in-line to take over the full-time job.
Ian Kennedy Is on Kansas City's Radar
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Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 11:43 a.m. ET
In Kansas City's search for a successor to James Shields in the rotation, the Royals have reached out to San Diego about a potential deal for Ian Kennedy, says Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
Entering his final year of team control and with a salary that's expected to approach $10 million through arbitration, San Diego is willing to listen to offers on the ace of its pitching staff. Yet that doesn't mean that the Padres are in a rush to deal the soon-to-be 30-year-old.
While he's never been able to replicate the Cy Young Award-worthy numbers that he put up for Arizona in 2011 (21-4, 2.88 ERA, 1.09 WHIP), Kennedy is coming off his fifth consecutive season with at least 180 innings pitched, and three of those years saw him pitch to an ERA under 4.05.
The Padres are also peddling starters Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross, though it's unclear whether the Royals have any interest in either one.
Could Ryan Howard Be Billy Butler's Replacement?
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Update: Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 2:56 p.m. ET
Sources tell CSN Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury that Kansas City's reported interest in Howard has been "overblown," noting that teams "discuss every player" at this time.
That's entirely accurate, and just because a team talks about potentially making a move to acquire "Player X" doesn't mean that they're actually going to try and do so.
Yet until there's a conclusion to the Royals search for their DH in 2015—a search that still could find Butler back in blue—the possibility of trading for Howard remains a possibility, no matter how remote of one it may be.
--End of Update--
Monday, Nov. 10 at 11:17 p.m. ET
The Royals believe that Philadelphia's Ryan Howard "could be the perfect fit" to replace Billy Butler as the team's everyday designated hitter, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, and have had internal discussions about the possibility.
Due a minimum of $60 million through 2016—which includes a $10 million buyout of a $23 million team option in 2017—the Phillies would have to pick up nearly all of it to make a deal feasible for Kansas City.
Howard, who celebrates his 35th birthday next week, hit .223 with 42 extra-base hits (23 home runs), 95 RBI and a .690 OPS. He also led the National League in strikeouts with 190, the second time in his career that he's done so.
James Shields Declines Qualifying Offer
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Update: Monday, Nov. 10 at 7:06 p.m. ET
As expected, Shields declined the qualifying offer and is now a free agent. Should he sign elsewhere, the Royals will receive a compensatory draft pick.
--End of Update--
Monday, Nov. 3 at 1:25 p.m. ET
As expected, the Royals have extended a one-year, $15.3 million qualifying offer to James Shields, an offer the veteran starter is expected to turn down.
While the Royals will try and keep Shields around, he's still expected to garner a far more lucrative contract on the open market than the club can contend with, despite the 32-year-old's disappointing postseason performance.
By extending the qualifying offer, the Royals will be assured of receiving draft pick compensation if-and-when Shields signs elsewhere.
Is Alex Gordon Kansas City's Most Valuable Trade Chip?
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It's fair to say that Alex Gordon has outplayed the four-year, $37.5 million contract extension that he signed with the Royals prior to the 2012 season, having established himself as a legitimate MVP candidate and, arguably, the best defensive outfielder in baseball.
But on the heels of a disappointing World Series performance (.185 BA, .511 OPS) and due $28 million through 2016—Gordon has already told Andy McCullough of The Kansas City Star that he plans on exercising his 2016 player option, worth $13.25 million.
He's quickly becoming an expensive commodity. Too expensive, perhaps.
That's why a handful of baseball insiders tell Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that they expect the Royals to at least listen to offers for the 30-year-old this winter.
While breaking up the band isn't something that GM Dayton Moore wants to do, if he's able to obtain a package of young, controllable talent in exchange for Gordon, it's a move that he may not be able to pass up.
For a team without unlimited financial resources, finding a happy medium between staying competitive today while keeping future costs under control is a tricky balance to strike.
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