Can any Giant free agent starters help the KC Royals?

1 of 3

(Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports) /

On the morning after the World Series ended, when free agents actually became free agents, the San Francisco Giants were in an unenviable position. Winners of more regular season games in 2021 than any other team, the Giants knew they could lose over a dozen players on the open offseason market. Their free agent pool represented potential help for other clubs, like the KC Royals, in need of more talent.

The possibility of free agent losses damaging the National League West champions’ hopes for next season was real. Star midseason acquisition Kris Bryant, first baseman Brandon Belt, second baseman Donovan Solano, and four-fifths of San Francisco’s starting rotation—Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Johnny Cueto, and Alex Wood—all had free agent status. So did lesser-used Aaron Sanchez, Jose Quintana, Scott Kazmir and Tony Watson, among others.

Three weeks later, hope remains for the Giants. Only Quintana and Trevor Gott are gone so far (Quintana to Pittsburgh, Gott to Milwaukee), DeSclafani re-signed with San Francisco, Belt accepted the club’s qualifying offer, and recent reports have Wood close to coming back.

So where does that leave the Royals if they’re interested in any of the Giants’ free agents?

The KC Royals should not pursue at least 3 San Francisco free agents.

Bryant and Solano are out—even if Kansas City reached out to him, the club won’t pay Bryant what he’ll want and command, and the Royals’ stacked infield means they won’t pursue Solano. The Giants probably showed their hand with Cueto when they declined his option, although he isn’t a good choice for the Royals in any event.

But Kansas City might find some pitching help…if the price is right.

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Two starting pitchers top the Giant free agents who could help the KC Royals.

Kansas City needs rotation help; the sooner it arrives the better, and a pair of good Giant free agent starters are available.

The first, of course, is Alex Wood, but only if he decides to leave despite those recent reports suggesting he’ll stay. Wood returned to form this season after injuries limited him to seven starts with Cincinnati two years ago and nine games with the Dodgers in 2020. He went 10-4 in 26 2021 starts, kept his ERA under 4.00 (3.83), and averaged almost 10 strikeouts per nine innings.

Wood’s best season was 2017 with the Dodgers. He won 16 games, lost only three, and posted the lowest ERA (2.72) of his career. He’s 63-48 over nine seasons.

Kevin Gausman is also a nine-year major league veteran. He led the Giants with 14 wins this season (he lost six) and his 2.81 ERA was a career best. Gausman made the All-Star team for the first time in 2021 and has a 64-72 career record. His mid-90’s four-seamer complements a splitter, slider and changeup.

Neither pitcher is burdened by a qualifying offer—Wood didn’t get one and Gausman wasn’t eligible because he accepted one from the Giants last year. Both will be expensive, though, which means Kansas City probably won’t go after or sign either of them.

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

The KC Royals probably don’t need to check out a pair of veteran pitchers.

For two seasons, Scott Kazmir, once one of the game’s better pitchers, was nowhere to be found. After last pitching in the majors in 2016 and the minors in 2017, the lefthander didn’t throw a pitch anywhere in 2018 and 2019.

Then, he signed on with the Eastern Reyes del Tigre in the independent Constellation Energy League during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign and went 2-1 with a 4.20 ERA in four games.

Kazmir made it back to the big leagues in 2021 but wasn’t overwhelming for the Giants. Not that he had much of a chance to be—he left the club in July to pitch for the U.S. Olympic team and didn’t return to San Francisco until late in the season. For the year, Kazmir gave up eight earned runs and walked six in 11.1 innings, although he was a more encouraging 3-3, 4.61 in 13 Triple-A games.

Now 38, Kazmir is 108-97 over 13 big league seasons; he earned 145 of his wins with Tampa Bay from 2004-2009. His best days clearly behind him, he’s not a starter the Royals should find interesting.

Like Kazmir, Aaron Sanchez is a free agent on whom Kansas City should pass. He’s a serviceable 35-34 over seven seasons, including his All-Star 2016 campaign when he was 15-2 with a 3.00 ERA for Toronto, but he’s a disconcerting 11-24, 5.03 since that season and missed all of 2020 with an injury. The righthander was 1-1 in nine games this year when the Giants released him in mid-August.

Next. Is Seiya Suzuki a KC solution?. dark

The KC Royals need rotation help. They’re not likely to find any among the Giants’ free agents.

Home / KC Royals News