Wainwright deal would create issues for KC Royals

If the signing of this top pitcher does occur, it will make KC Royals pitching staff more dominant but possibly set back the team in other areas

First reported by Jon Morosi of MLB.com, the KC Royals are in the hunt to sign long-time St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright.  While the team may not be his top choice the fact the Royals are in the discussion continues to show how serious they are in making the playoffs this year.

The positives of adding an arm like Wainwright are many. He has finished in the top three in Cy Young voting four times in his career, went to three All-Star games, won two Gold Gloves, and even a Silver Slugger award.

He has been in the league since 2005 and could share valuable wisdom with all the pitchers on the Royals.  Wainwright just completed his best full season in five years registering a 1.05 WHIP and tossing two complete games.  He also would be a great addition to the community having just won the Roberto Clemente Award.

The award is considered to be the most prestigious individual player award presented by Major League Baseball. It annually recognizes one player who best represents the sport through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions. – mlb.com

The issues are what would be the potential negatives of this deal.  We are not sure how deep the pockets of John Sherman are, so, would this take away from the desperately needed outfield bat? Would pitching prospects who are ready for the big leagues have to take a seat and the Royals miss out on a year of growth for them?

And while last year showed there is plenty of gas left in the tank, Wainwright will turn 39 late next summer.  If his success in 2020 due to the late start to the season and only a portion of the number of total games played, a 162 game schedule could produce results similar to what he had in 2016-2019.

It would be hard to argue against the KC Royals making this deal if they get the opportunity.  But the implications of the other dominoes that could fall due to it cannot be ignored.