The Kansas City Royals are set to lose a number of impending free agents, most notably Johnny Cueto, Alex Gordon and Ben Zobrist. The loss of Cueto will leave a void in their starting rotation, and because they can't afford him, rumors suggest they'll be in the market for a few other pitchers.
Last year the Royals were faced with a similar dilemma when James Shields hit free agency and signed a four-year, $75 million deal with the San Diego Padres. They filled that vacancy by luring in Edinson Volquez from the Pittsburgh Pirates on a two-year, $20 million deal (with a $10 million team option for 2017).
They can do the same this year, assuming they don't re-sign Chris Young, who is also a free agent and would cost them almost nothing for a one-year deal.
However, we'd like to think general manager Dayton Moore wants to further upgrade and provide more continuity to the rotation, and while Young is a solid pitcher, he's 36 years old and might be better fit for a middle relief role.
"After Cueto departs, their rotation will consist of Yordano Ventura, Edinson Volquez, Danny Duffy and Kris Medlen. To improve their chances of repeating as champions, they'll need to add another proven starter," writes ESPN Insider Jim Bowden. "But let's remember the Royals have limitations payroll-wise, so the big-name free agents likely aren't an option for them. Free-agent starters that might fit within their payroll infrastructure could include Brett Anderson, Marco Estrada and J.A. Happ."
Although it sounds like a great plan, there are likely to be some obstacles. Anderson and Estrada could get the qualifying offer, which means the Royals would have to surrender their first-round draft pick if they sign either one of them. Additionally, the market for Estrada could be the best out of these three, and that may deter the mid-market Royals.
"'A little buyer beware, but as effective as any starting pitcher down the stretch,' said one AL GM [of Estrada]. 'I would think Toronto gets him signed, but if they don't, I'd say six or seven teams would be in the hunt on a four- or five-year deal in the $12 million-$15 million [a year] range,'" via Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
Happ could also be out of their price range. The left-hander excelled after being traded to the Pirates in the middle of the year and finished the season 7-2 with a 1.85 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in 11 starts (63 1/3 innings).
But there is one more pitcher that could fit right in at Kauffman Stadium.
"If the Padres don't extend a qualifying offer to Ian Kennedy, the Royals may well be one of the teams that pursues the right-hander, on the sort of midlevel deal they've made with pitchers like Edinson Volquez and Jason Vargas," adds ESPN's Buster Olney. "Kennedy is a fly ball pitcher who would greatly benefit from the Royals' home park and their shutdown defense."
Kennedy, 30, went 9-15 with a 4.28 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in 30 starts (168 1/3 innings) with San Diego this past season. The right-hander has had a solid tenure with the Padres (3.97 ERA in 73 starts), but it's unknown how the team will approach him in free agency due to some of their payroll concerns. Justin Upton is more likely to get the qualifying offer, so the Royals could be in luck if Kennedy is on their radar.
Kansas City can continue on their current path by filling a couple of holes on their roster. Adding another capable arm alongside Ventura, Volquez, Duffy and Medlen (if that's the projected rotation) will go a long way for the defending World Series champs.
