Kansas City Royals: Who Will Sign an Extension Next?

Wade Davis

We are pretty sure that Kansas City Royals closer Wade Davis is human. He smiled after the Royals won the World Series, and at times appears bored on the mound, letting opposing teams get a baserunner or two before crushing their hopes and dreams. Or did Davis get an upgrade with an emotion chip, allowing him to feign emotion and make it seem as though the rising of our robotic overloads has not happened yet?

Pros: Over the past two seasons, Davis has been the most dominate pitcher in baseball. In his last 139.1 innings, Davis has a 0.97 ERA and a 0.818 WHiP, allowing only 4.6 hits per nine innings. With a cutter that he may have inherited when Mariano Rivera retired, Davis has made opposing batters look foolish while giving the Royals worry free innings in the bullpen.

Cons: Can Davis continue at this pace? What we have seen is almost historic at this point. Closers also tend to be rather interchangeable, with few ending up as a Rivera or a Trevor Hoffman, continuing to dominate throughout their career. Can Davis be another one like that duo?

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Verdict: The price for closers, as it has for all relievers, has been escalating in recent years. As teams look to copy the Royals model, these prices are likely to increase. As Davis has a $10 Million option for 2017, it may cost a bit more than that to keep him in town. If he is still dominating at this level, it will be interesting to see what the Royals decide to do should he hit free agency.