KC Royals: Making the case, Houston Astros free agents

We all know how the KC Royals like their reclamation projects.  This one is right up their alley.

In 2016, third-year veteran Aaron Sanchez posted a 15-2 record with a league-leading 3.00 ERA.  He was an All-Star and finished seventh in Cy Young voting.

First injuries affected his play after that and then just a flat out bad season in 2019 derailed his promising career.  He did not pitch at all for the Astros in 2020.

His agent, Scott Boras, is pushing that his client is ready to return as a starter following shoulder surgery.  The Royals have gone done this road many times with some success and some failure.  Depending on what amount of salary they are seeking, it could be a chance worth taking.

Relievers available

One hurler with a ton of talent but a current major injury to battle back from and a history of domestic violence is Roberto Osuna.  Despite a league-best 38 saves in 2019 and 73 strikeouts in 65 innings, Houston has chosen to not resign the pitcher.

On top of the character issues, Osuna is rumored to need Tommy John surgery and is all but out for the 2021 campaign.  It is tough to imagine this would be a good fit for a Dayton Moore and Mike Matheny roster.

Chris Devenski, Chase De Jong, Brad Peacock, and Joe Biagini all struggled mightily in 2020.  While Devenski and Peacock have had success in prior years, I believe Peacock might be the only one of the bunch worth considering.

Peacock would fit in nicely as a swingman with his history of 83 starts in 181 career games.  From 2016-2019 he kept a tidy WHIP of 1.10 to 1.19 and could give you multiple innings in relief and be an emergency starter if needed.  I would not hand over more than $2.5 million for him but he could an unheralded signing that is good for the younger pitchers.

That is the wrap up of the Houston Astro free agents that the KC Royals could pursue or pass on.  There are some interesting players available although the big names would probably price their way out of contention for Kansas City.