Kansas City Royals Should Avoid Current Pitching Market

Even with the report that Kyle Zimmer could be a part of the 2016 starting rotation, the Kansas City Royals are still looking for starting pitching. But is there anything out there worth pursuing?

With Scott Kazmir off the market, having signed with the Dodgers, starting pitching is starting to thin out on the free agent market. However, there are quite a few teams still in need of pitching upgrades, not to mention that the Dodgers appear to be attempting to build a seven man starting rotation.

However, even with the thinning market, the Kansas City Royals are still expected to look to upgrade their rotation. According to Buster Olney, the Royals are still pursuing available starters, even though there may not be much available.

The problem is that none of the options may be worth pursuing. The top pitchers left in free agency, Yovani Gallardo, Wei-Yin Chen and Ian Kennedy, all rejected their qualifying offers and are subject to draft pick compensation. For a team like the Royals, who had relied heavily upon their farm system, is it worth giving up that draft pick for either pitcher?

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Then there are the reclamation projects. Pitchers like Mat Latos, Tim Lincecum and Doug Fister, among others, could be interesting on a one year deal with a team option as they look to rebuild their value. Given the Royals ability to locate these pitchers, and turn them into viable parts of the rotation, one would expect Dayton Moore and the front office to strike gold if they take this route. However, none of those pitchers could be counted on to be that needed upgrade.

Theoretically, this would lead back to that top tier remaining. While the Royals are loath to lose that draft pick, they would get another pick back should Alex Gordon sign elsewhere, possibly lessening their reluctance to target such pitchers. However, since the Royals may have lost out on Kazmir while waiting for Gordon to make up his mind, they need to come to a decision soon.

That decision should be to bypass those pitchers like Gallardo and Chen. Considering the financial cost, as well as the draft pick compensation, the Royals would be better off looking at one of those reclamation projects. While there is likely a greater chance of the pitcher flaming out, the upside is far greater than what those other pitchers have to offer.

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The Kansas City Royals are still looking at starting pitching, but there is not much left on the market. Hopefully, they look at one of the reclamation projects, as opposed to trying to make a splash with one of the top pitchers left.