Kansas City Royals: Five Realistic Starting Pitcher Free Agent Targets

Jaime Garcia

Before the Kansas City Royals ultimately decided to a six-player trade with San Diego, the club apparently looked into adding Jaime Garcia for a second-half push. According to FanRag Sports’  Jon Heyman, the veteran left-hander was a deadline target of the Royals. The Braves ended up sending him to the Twins, who in turn sent Garcia to the Yankees after just one start.

All told, the long-time St. Louis Cardinal didn’t have the kind of season that wold warrant two playoff teams adding him to their respective rotations. Garcia made 27 starts (18 with Atlanta, one with Minnesota and eight with New York) during the regular season. He had a 5-10 record and a 4.41 ERA. Somehow that earned him a spot on the Yankees’ postseason roster.

Garcia, 31, will likely command — for reasons unbeknownst to me — more than the Kansas City Royals should be willing to pay him. Spotrac, which tracks and analyzes contracts, projects his market value to be just north of the $12 million he earned in 2017. Given the Royals’ financial obligations, plus the possibility of re-signing a free agent or two, his price tag will likely be too high.

But if some moves are made to clear space, it could happen, as the front office clearly saw something in Garcia last season. Plus the departure of Vargas leaves just one left-handed pitcher, Danny Duffy, as a lock for the rotation. Just don’t expect Garcia to land a four-year, $48 million deal to be the second.