KC Royals: Making the case, 11 Yankees free agents

Most of the Yankee free agents are too expensive or players the KC Royals don’t need, but there may be some help in the group for Kansas City.

When it comes to this year’s flock of 11 New York Yankee free agents, let’s get right to the bottom line. Several will be far too expensive for the KC Royals to even think about, much less sign. Kansas City isn’t breaking the bank, for example, to sign DJ LeMahieu, although his three All-Star selections, three Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers and 24.6 career WAR would definitely play well in Kauffman Stadium and allow the club to stop fretting about Nicky Lopez’s maddeningly weak bat.

Likewise, Masahiro Tanaka, a reliable right-handed starter with near-pinpoint control and a 1.130 career WHIP, won’t come cheap enough for the small-market Royals.

Then there are the Yanks who are aging or can’t fill a Royal need. Brett Gardner is too old (38 in August) for Kansas City and will probably retire before leaving Yankee Stadium. J.A. Happ offers the Royals the chance to pick up a proven southpaw starter, and could be the seasoned mentor the rotation needs, but at 38 he may be too seasoned.

Jordy Mercer is a good shortstop, but at 34 he’s nine years older than Adalberto Mondesi, who isn’t moving from short for anyone but Bobby Witt Jr.—and it’s probably Witt who’ll end up finding another position to play when he arrives in Kansas City.

So, are there any New York free agents who might suit the Royals needs and fit their budget? A starter and a utility-capable player are the best possibilities. Let’s take a closer look.

Four relievers are among the 11 Yankee free agents, but the KC Royals should pass on them all.

When the Yankees signed right-handed reliever Dan Otero to a free agent pact last winter, they hoped he could replicate four stellar seasons—two in Oakland and two in Cleveland—that proved how good he can be.

Otero was 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA in 33 games with the A’s in 2013, then 8-2, 2.28 in a whopping 72 appearances the following season. He declined in 2015, but landed in Cleveland and immediately returned to form with a 5-1, 1.53 effort in 2016, followed by 3-0, 2.85 in 2017. But he declined again, posted ERAs of 5.22 and 4.85 in 2018 and ’19, and found himself looking for a job last winter.

The Yankees, probably relying on those four campaigns and his 22-8 career record, picked him up but he didn’t pitch for them in 2020. Otero can be good, but he’s inconsistent and hasn’t pitched well since 2017. The KC Royals shouldn’t be looking for a reliever who’ll be 36 in February, and their bullpen is already dominated by righties.

Speaking of a pen packed with right-handers, Kansas City could probably use a lefty there, but Luis Avilan and Fernando Abad aren’t what they might be looking for.

Avilan has surrendered too many runs for a reliever the last two seasons (5.06 ERA with the Mets in 2019 and 4.32 last year with the Yanks), has lost about four miles per hour off his fastball in five years, and suffered shoulder inflammation late in 2020.

Abad, who’ll turn 35 next month, broke into the majors in 2010; after pitching for Boston in 2017, he signed with the Phillies but was released in March, then signed a minor league deal with the Mets but was suspended for 80 games later in the year after a positive steroid test, and didn’t pitch in the majors again until 2019. He signed with the Yankees last July and made the club’s Player Pool, but never pitched for the big club. His career 8-29 record is also troubling.

Finally, there’s Tommy Kahnle, a right-hander with 285 major league relief appearances and a 9-9 record in seven seasons. He had Tommy John surgery in August and will miss most, if not all, of 2021; although San Diego just signed Mike Clevinger, who’s in the same Tommy John boat, to a two-year deal, Kahnle isn’t Clevinger and the KC Royals shouldn’t sign him not to pitch.

The Yankee have almost a dozen free agents, some of whom are beyond Kansas City’s financial wherewithal. But James Paxton and Matt Duffy might be affordable help.