KC Royals: Making the case, Giants free agents

After making some significant moves this offseason, is there a chance the KC Royals can make another with any of San Francisco’s free agents?

Memories of the KC Royals’ 2017 season aren’t good. The last available window to another World Series for the club’s championship core wasn’t as open as it seemed, the key members of that core—Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas and Alcides Escobar—left when the season ended (although Moustakas and Escobar returned temporarily), and the team’s playoff miss set it on the path of decline.

Particularly distasteful was the ill-fated July trade (close to one of the worst in club history) the Royals made with San Diego to bolster its stretch run pitching. Brandon Maurer, Ryan Buchter and Trevor Cahill arrived from the Padres but only Buchter pitched respectably. Maurer was a disaster that season and the next; incredibly, Cahill gave up 21 runs and walked 21 in 23 innings and finished with an 8.22 ERA and 10.24 FIP.

Now, the Royals could give Cahill another chance. The righthanded swingman, late of the San Francisco Giants, is a free agent, but one Kansas City should make no attempt to sign. His glory year with Oakland (18-8, 2.97 ERA with an All-Star berth) occurred 10 long years ago, he had two decent seasons with the Cubs (2015-16), and he pitched fairly well for the Angels in 2019, but was a pedestrian 1-2, 3.24 for the Giants in 2020. The Royals could use a swingman, but they have better and younger (Cahill turns 33 in March) internal candidates in their improved pen.

Kansas City might have considered Giant starter free agents Kevin Gausman and Drew Smyly, but Gausman re-signed and Atlanta inked Smyly. Catcher Tyler Heineman could have drawn a thought as a backup catcher until the Cardinals signed him.

With those four off the table, and considering the Royals have already made some significant moves, are there any Giant free agents who might fit in with KC?

Among San Francisco free agent pitchers are a couple of starters the KC Royals might consider, but how serious their thoughts should be is another matter.

Unless you’re a Trevor Bauer, Masahiro Tanaka, Cole Hamels or Matt Shoemaker, there probably isn’t much work available as a starting pitcher in Kansas City. Nor is there much room left in the Royal bullpen for anyone who’s not an accomplished closer.

Had Mike Minor not signed last week, the KC Royals might have looked at righty Jeff Samardzija, a 13-year veteran who’s always good for a lot of innings, to complement starters Brad Keller, Danny Duffy, Brady Singer and Kris Bubic. He’s exceeded 200 innings five times and led the National League with 207.2 in 2017. But his 80-106 record belies the notion that he’s dominant, and his 33-45 record in five San Francisco seasons proves he wasn’t the answer the Giants were looking for when they signed him to his just-ended $90 million deal.

Although he stays in the strike zone and doesn’t walk many, the 35-year old Samardzija isn’t a starter, or long reliever, the Royals need.

Southpaw Tyler Anderson is also a Giant free agent who, like Samardzija, shouldn’t count the Royals among his suitors. He’s 22-27 and has a 4.65 ERA, although the latter number is, at least in part, a likely consequence of pitching three of his five major league seasons in Colorado for the Rockies. Anderson has decent control, but he’s not sufficiently remarkable to warrant much interest from KC.

Righthander Tyson Ross was released before the 2020 season started, then opted out of the campaign. But even had he pitched, the Royals probably wouldn’t be interested in another righty starter, especially one with a 44-70 record.

What about relievers? Because the KC Royals’ bullpen is so improved, the club is probably limiting its efforts there to secure the return of either Trevor Rosenthal or Greg Holland, so don’t expect it to show any interest in lefties Jerry Blevins and Tony Watson. Blevins owns a 30-13 record over 13 seasons; his best Royal role would be in long or middle relief, but the Royals probably won’t look for a 37-year old to fill that job when the pen is packed with talent. Watson was 1-0 with two saves and a 0.889 WHIP in 2020 but is entering his age-36 campaign. KC has younger options.