KC Royals: Making the case, Atlanta Braves free agents

The Braves have big names hitting the free agent market.  Can the KC Royals afford any and if so, should they pursue them?

Welcome back to Kings of Kauffman’s continuing series analyzing the major league free agent market and projecting who might, or might not, fit the KC Royals’ needs. Today we take a look at the Atlanta Braves’ free agents. 

The Braves have come back nicely from their lean years of 2014-2017 – roughly the same period the Royals were playing their best ball since the 1980s.  Atlanta has now reeled off three straight division titles, being bumped twice in the National League Divisional Series.

This year “Hotlanta” made it to the Championship Series and had leads of two games to none and three games to one against the Dodgers.  Los Angeles came roaring back to win the pennant on their way to their first World Series trophy since 1988.

Atlanta accomplished this with a modest payroll prorated to $63.6 million, just above the league average.  That was only the 16th highest in the majors so if they choose they could dish out money on new players or on keeping those who have reached free agency.

With the team accomplishments, it would be likely that good players from the Braves would be hitting the market.  There are, in fact, 10 free agents that will be shopping their services to other clubs.  Many are household names with several years of quality performances and others could be good role players on the right team.

We will explore who the players are and if they would be a good fit for the KC Royals.  Of course, the main question that is always hanging over the franchise is how much will they spend.

The KC Royals seem fairly solid in the bullpen but could another reliever or starter still be a possibility?

Cole Hamels had solid seasons in Philadelphia and a couple after signing with the Texas Rangers.  His last few years have not been nearly as good as when he was in his prime.

He turns 37 in December and questions about his durability should be carefully looked at.  He only pitched three innings this year and started just 12 games in 2018.  With a WHIP the last three full seasons he pitched of 1.39, 1.10, and 1.37 it is a gamble to think he would be a wise grab.

Spotrac believes his fair market value is around $4 million which would seem Royal-friendly.  The smart play would be to pass on his services or sign to a minor league deal with an invite to big league spring training.

Several relievers will be available

The Braves do not lack quality arms who have plenty of major league experience and whose contracts have expired.  One of those is Shane Greene who Kansas City fans will recall from his days as a pitcher with the Detroit Tigers.

Greene performed very well in 2020, so much so that it is believed he could fetch $7 million on the open market.  That seems high with the state of finances in baseball; no one was willing to pay $10 million to snatch up Brad Hand after he was put on waivers by the Cleveland Indians.

With the bullpen being the brightest spot of the Royals this year, spending that much on a middle reliever does not make sense.

Mark Melancon was once one of the best closers in the National League while with the Pittsburgh Pirates.  While his output has decreased over time, his two years with the Braves were better than the prior four seasons. Middle relief would also be his best fit and heading into his age 36 season, if Kansas City could get him for a song and dance it would be worth exploring.

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.