Kansas City Royals: Five Bargain Free Agent Starter Candidates

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Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Over the past few years, the Kansas City Royals have had a great deal of success in the middle tier of free agency. That success has truly manifested when it comes to starting pitching, as the Royals have brought in pitchers like Edinson Volquez, Chris Young and Jason Vargas, all of whom have outperformed expectations when healthy.

With the Royals payroll restrictions, it is likely that the Royals will look towards the midlevel free agent once again when it comes to filling out the rotation. With numerous free agents, and several players in line for a hefty raise via arbitration, the Royals may find themselves hard pressed to truly engage in a bidding war for a starter.

This is, however, one area where Dayton Moore has truly excelled. With Dave Eiland as pitching coach, the Royals have taken on several reclamation projects that have worked out well. Just look at the success that pitchers like Jeremy Guthrie and Ryan Madson have had while in Kansas City.

As it stands, there is only one slot in the rotation that appears to be open. Yordano Ventura, Volquez, Danny Duffy and Kris Medlen appear to be set in the top four spots, with the Royals truly in need of an option towards the end of the staff. Even though Miguel Almonte and Kyle Zimmer may receive long looks during Spring Training, it would not be a surprise for the Royals to bring in a pitcher who may be a solid candidate to bounce back to their previous level of success.

Who could the Kansas City Royals consider for the back end of the rotation? Here are a few candidates that Moore may be able to sign for a bargain.

Next: His peripherals are belie his performance

Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Mat Latos

To say that Mat Latos was a disappointment least season would be an understatement. After an injury plagued 2014 season, Latos was expected to be a key part of the Miami Marlins rotation, helping keep the team afloat until Jose Fernandez could come back. Instead, Latos struggled before being shipped to the Dodgers at the trade deadline. After six disastrous outings, he was released before being picked up by the Angels for the end of the season.

All told, Latos put together a miserable 4-10 record with a 4.95 ERA and a 1.305 WHiP. Those numbers would not appear to be the kind that would lead to a solid offer during free agency, but Latos was expected to be much better than his end results. Latos posted a strikeout to walk rate of 3.13, striking out just under eight batters per nine innings while posting a 3.72 FIP.

Before his injury woes in 2014, Latos was one of the more promising young pitchers in baseball. He posted a 55-40 record with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.170 WHiP, striking out 785 batters against 257 walks in 849.2 innings. Can a healthy Latos get back to that level once again?

That is the question that the Kansas City Royals, and other interested teams, will have to ask themselves. At 28 years old when the regular season begins, Latos is supposedly at the beginning of his prime. On a one year contract, he could certainly be the type of pitcher that would outperform his contract. With the Royals defense behind him, Latos could have that resurgent season he would hope for.

Next: Was his injury worse than reported?

Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Doug Fister

The 2015 season was a complete disaster for Doug Fister. One of the pitchers that could have been a top of the rotation starter that comprised the Nationals staff, Fister struggled virtually all season. He missed time with a flexor strain, and was generally ineffective during his time on the mound, posting a 4.19 ERA and a 1.398 WHiP in his 25 outings.

Most of that damage came as a starter, where Fister posted a 4.60 ERA and a 1.419 WHiP in his 15 starts. Banished to the bullpen at the beginning of August, Fister began to find himself once again. In his ten relief outings, Fister produced a 2.12 ERA and a 1.294 WHiP, striking out 15 in his 17 innings.

Even with that improvement after being sent to the bullpen, there are still plenty of reasons to be concerned with Fister. His velocity dropped by over two miles per hour this past season, and did not have that much of an uptick after being placed in a relief role. The opposition feasted on that difference, as Fister allowed a 30% line drive rate last season while seeing his ground ball tendencies become neutralized.

With an offseason to rest his arm, and an improved defense behind him, Doug Fister could be in line for a bounceback campaign. Playing in Kauffman Stadium with the Kansas City Royals defense behind him, he could be a potential steal if Dayton Moore had interest.

Next: A truly brutal season

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Masterson

Last season was truly dreadful by virtually any metric for Justin Masterson. After starting the year in the Red Sox rotation, he was sent down to AAA, where he had one disastrous outing before being dropped to AA. He worked his way back to the majors, but was shut down halfway through August.

Unable to find any consistency in either the rotation or the bullpen, Masterson struggled to a 5.61 ERA and a 1.601 WHiP, allowing an uncharacteristic seven home runs in 59.1 innings. His ERA was the 29th worst of any pitcher who had over 40 innings of work, and only 18 pitchers had a worse WHiP. This was not even a case of the Red Sox defense failing their pitcher, as Masterson had a 4.89 FIP on the year.

Even more alarming may be Masterson’s decreasing ground ball rate. A pitcher who has been able to work out of trouble due to his ability to generate grounders, Masterson went for generating one fly ball for every 1.44 grounders to a 1.08:1 rate. Perhaps this is due to his dramatically decreased velocity, as Masterson has seen his average fastball velocity drop from 93.97 MPH in 2013 to 89.06 MPH in 2015.

If Justin Masterson is having mechanical issues, or is beginning to become more of a fly ball pitcher, then the Kansas City Royals may be a good fit. Dave Eiland has been able to work wonders with other struggling pitchers in the past; perhaps he could find that magic formula with Masterson.

Next: A major injury risk

Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Tim Lincecum

There was a time, in the not so distant past, when Tim Lincecum was one of the best starters in baseball. He made four consecutive All-Star Games, won two Cy Young awards and was a key piece of the Giants winning the 2010 World Series. However, since the 2011 season, Lincecum has not been close to the same pitcher, posting a 39-42 record with a 4.68 ERA and a 1.402 WHiP.

Even if the days of Lincecum being a dominant starter are over, he can still have his moments where he taps back into his brilliance. Before his final two starts of the season, Lincecum had a 3.31 ERA and a 1.350 WHiP, striking out 57 batters in 73.1 innings. it was beginning to look like he had started to figure out how to pitch with his diminished velocity.

There are major warning signs with Lincecum, particularly with his troublesome hip. After being placed on the disabled list when he was hit in the elbow with a line drive, Lincecum was diagnosed with a degenerative hip condition, potentially hindering his ability to produce, or even pitch. Any team that signs Lincecum will have to do so with the knowledge that his hip issues could keep him from a full season.

If Lincecum is healthy, and that is a major question mark, his fly ball tendencies could play well in Kauffman Stadium. Should he be enough of a bargain, he may be worth a look for the Kansas City Royals.

Next: Does he have anything left?

Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Lohse

Prior to last season, Kyle Lohse was a solid middle of the rotation starter. His career had been revitalized in St. Louis, and from 2011 through 2014, Lohse posted a 54-30 record with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.143 WHiP. This past season, in what was a lost year for the Brewers, Lohse imploded, posting a 5-13 record with a 5.85 ERA and a 1.464 WHiP, eventually being sent to the bullpen.

Those numbers only tell a portion of the story. Lohse was battered by the opposition all season, as opponents produced a .297/.345/.502 batting line against him. An extreme fly ball pitcher, Lohse allowed 29 home runs in 152.1 innings, while allowing a 31% line drive rate. This was truly a wasted season.

However, all Lohse may need is a change of scenery. Although he is on the back nine of his career at 37 years old, Lohse may still have something left in the tank. As a fly ball pitcher, pitching in a park like Kauffman Stadium could lead to a reversal of his struggles from last year.

Next: Royals Odds of Re-Signing Key Free Agents

While it would be a gamble, Kyle Lohse could slot in at the back of the Kansas City Royals rotation and provide far more than anticipated. Likely to be available on a one year deal at an affordable rate, Lohse could be the type of pitcher that the Royals consider.

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