KC Royals: Making the case, Atlanta Braves free agents

They say you can never have too much pitching and the KC Royals still need a decent backup for their star catcher.

As a starter, Josh Tomlin did not turn too many heads in his career.  Recently, he has turned into a swingman-type of role starting a handful of games and making the most of his appearances out of the bullpen.

He has great control and the Royals still need to improve on handing out free passes.  Tomlin could play a long relief role and be an emergency starter if the situation arises.  Not a priority signing but someone to consider depending on how the team fairs with their own free agents.

Perhaps the most intriguing pitcher is Darren O’Day.  He is the oldest having just turned 38 but his career stats of a 2.51 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and striking out more batters than innings he has pitched are fantastic.

The one issue – besides age – is the fact he often pitches less than an inning per appearance.  With the new baseball rules about facing a minimum amount of batters that could be an issue.  Gut instinct is to not go after this one.

Another old American League Central foe

For the first seven years of his career, Tyler Flowers was a member of the Chicago White Sox.  His seven home runs against the Royals are still the most he has hit against any one team.

Joining the Braves in 2016 Flowers had the best two seasons of his career as he settled more into a platoon role.  His average and on-base percentage have slipped recently again but he still managed to club 11 homers in 2019.

The main reason a move to the Royals does not make sense is his defense.  He led the league with 19 passed balls in ’19 and in the last two years has only thrown out 19 and 12 percent of base stealers.  Whoever is going to spell Salvador Perez needs to be a rock for the young pitchers.