Kansas City Royals Sign Chris Young to One Year Deal

Given the depth that the Kansas City Royals have in their starting rotation, the expected return of Kris Medlen and the young starters coming up through the system, another starting pitcher would seem to be the last thing on Dayton Moore’s shopping list. However, that has proven not to be the case as the Royals have announced the signing of Chris Young to a major league contract.

If the Royals had signed Young to a minor league contract, that would be understandable. One can never have enough depth, especially at the AAA level. However, Young was signed to a major league contract worth $675,000, with another $5.325 Million possible in bonuses and incentives. For a possible $6 Million overall, it seems that the Royals are expecting quite a bit from Young.

In a vacuum, the Kansas City Royals signing of Chris Young makes sense. He had a solid season last year, posting a 12-9 record with a 3.65 ERA and a 1.230 WHiP. Young is also an extreme fly ball pitcher, with a ground ball to fly ball rate of 0.37 over his career. Given the spacious outfield in Kauffman Stadium and the Royals excellent outfield defense, we would appear to be a solid fit and a great bargain.

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Looking at the Kansas City Royals rotation, the signing of Young just does not make sense. Currently, the five starting spots are filled with Yordano Ventura, Danny Duffy, Edinson Volquez, Jason Vargas and Jeremy Guthrie. Medlen, who was transferred to the 60 day DL to make room for Young, is expected to be back by the middle of the season. Young is not a lefty, so he is not likely to slot into the bullpen. It just seems like a curious move.

Unless, of course, the signing of Chris Young is a sign that the Kansas City Royals have another move forthcoming. Are the Royals looking to put Guthrie in the bullpen as their long reliever/spot starter? Will there be a trade involving one of their starters forthcoming? Are the Royals looking to experiment with a six man starting rotation?

The Kansas City Royals signing of Chris Young has the feel of being a precursor to another move. It is really the only way the move makes much sense, unless the Royals are going to try that aforementioned six man rotation. Now, it is just a matter of waiting for the other shoe to drop and see what else Dayton Moore has up his sleeve.

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