KC Royals: 3 things Danny Duffy’s return could mean

When all is said and done, Danny Duffy and the KC Royals may forge a new deal.

Danny Duffy and the Royals have been together ever since the club selected him in the third round of the 2007 amateur draft and he threw his first professional pitch for in the Arizona Rookie League later that year.

The long relationship between player and club has survived the ups and downs and injuries of Duffy’s career. The KC Royals thought so much of him that they signed him to a five-year, $65 million dollar contract in the winter of 2017, a deal that avoided impending arbitration for both sides and allowed the franchise to sidestep Duffy’s first eligibility for free agency.

It’s naive to think the Royals haven’t entertained thoughts of trading Duffy, but he’s remained in Kansas City, a situation much to his liking considering his well-known desire to stay.

Look for the Duffy-Royals relationship to continue despite his eligibility for free agency when the season ends.

The reasons are many. The pitcher’s trade value isn’t gone, but it’s certainly diminished a bit by his injury and the uncertainty such things create. Even if other clubs come calling next month, they may not be willing to part with the level of talent Kansas City will demand.

Duffy will complete his 11th major league season this year; he’s never pitched anywhere else, so he knows the organization, its culture, and its philosophies perhaps better than any other player. He knows the ropes and can mentor the club’s young pitchers.

Duffy is good for the Royals in so many ways, and he clearly believes the franchise is good for him.

Those are the reasons, if he pitches well and stays healthy when he returns, Duffy and the Royals forging a new deal, one to keep him in KC for the rest of his career, makes perfect sense. It won’t be the kind of mega-deal he’s finishing up, and it shouldn’t be. Something along the lines of two years for, say, $20-25 million, and a mutual option season, seems reasonable.

Danny Duffy should return to the KC Royals soon. What happens to him the rest of the season remains to be seen, but look for him to be back in 2022.