Making the case, KC Royals free agents

The KC Royals have a few pitchers to pick from out of their own free agents, but most should be allowed to walk away.

First up is Matt Harvey. Harvey was a curious signing by the Royals in 2020. He was signed to a minor league contract and not long after moved to the major league roster. There was some hope that Harvey would be able to reclaim some of his former glory. It didn’t happen. Over 11.2 innings and 7 games (4 starts), Harvey gave up 15 runs for an ERA of 11.57, stuck out 10 and walked 5.

It was an uninspiring performance and one that the Royals should take as a sign to move on.

Next is Mike Montgomery. Monty came to the Royals in a trade during the 2019 season. He had been used primarily as a reliever for the Cubs, but wanted to get back to a starting role. The Royals could offer him that. Unforutnaly, it didn’t go well.

He struggled to finish the 2019 season, though he did have some hopeful outings. Then in 2020, he was injured and only saw 5.1 innings, giving up 3 runs. He could make sense on a minor league contract as possible bullpen help, but it could make just as much sense to move on.

The last free agent to move on from is Ian Kennedy. The Royals signed Kennedy to a longer contract in 2016 hoping to get good years out of a veteran who had seen some success. That backfired. Kennedy was finally moved to the bullpen in 2019 where he saw huge success. That didn’t carry into 2020.

Kennedy saw a steep decline during the 2020 season and couldn’t stop giving up runs. He was eventually placed on the injured list towards the end of the season, and many saw his time in Kansas City coming to an end. 2021 will be his age 36 season, and one the Royals should not be a part of.