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KC Royals: Potential Free Agent Target Mike Minor

By Scott Dillon

Sep 8, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Mike Minor (36) pitches during the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 8, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Mike Minor (36) pitches during the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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The KC Royals front office filled a hole last week by locking up a franchise player in Alex Gordon. Would Mike Minor be a good fit as they look to fill out the rotation?

Dayton Moore and company are likely done seeking to add position players and may look to add a pitcher to the rotation. There are still plenty of free agent pitchers on the market including names like Yovani Gallardo and Wei-Yin Chen. Unless one of those guys is willing to sign a short term contract or a cheap long term contract the KC Royals are most likely going to look at lower tier options at starting pitcher.

There are still plenty of free agent pitchers on the market including names like Yovani Gallardo and Wei-Yin Chen

First, let’s go over why starting pitching is so hard to come by on the free agent market. David Price and Zack Greinke signed contracts this off season that the Royals will never be able to compete with, nor should they have to. That being said, it’s not players like them that create issues for teams like the Royals.

Let’s review the new contract that J.A. Happ recently signed. Happ signed a contract with the Blue Jays this off season for three years and 36 million dollars. That’s an annual average of $12 million. While Happ pitched great over his last 11 games of 2015, he has a career ERA of 4.13 and a average 1.04 bWAR per season.

That’s why it makes it hard for the Royals to compete in the free agent pitching market.

Why would a mid-tier pitcher like Gallardo accept $10-$15 million per year when he averages 2.22 bWAR per season? Handing out bad contracts to bad pitchers doesn’t have to be done by the Royals for it to hurt them.

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While ex-Brave Mike Minor isn’t a prime target, he may have some serious value to the Royals. Minor didn’t pitch during the 2015 season due to a torn labrum in his shoulder that he had surgically repaired in May of 2015. The fact that he’s coming off a surgery coupled with a bad year in 2014 might make him someone the Royals can afford.

He had a 4.77 ERA in 2014 and a WHIP of 1.438 and saw his strikeout to walk ratio fall to 2.73. Bottom line: Minor pitched poorly in 2014. He does have some upside though.

In 2013, Minor pitched very well. He carried a 3.21 ERA and 1.090 WHIP across more than 200 innings of work. He also struck out nearly four batters per free pass issued. He’s a former first round pick (seventh overall), and is only 28 years old. He may be in a similar situation to Kris Medlen in that he’s not very old and could be interested in a short term, low cost contract that gives him a chance to prove he’s rehabilitated.

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Dayton Moore has taken chances on ‘reclamation projects’ before and most of his recent projects have turned out to be good ones. If Dayton Moore can convince him to come to Kansas City and work with his training staff on a low-risk contract he may be worth a flyer. Aside from having upside, he’s also a lefty, which the Royals could certainly use in the rotation given Duffy’s inconsistent nature.

Minor wouldn’t be my first choice of the remaining available pitchers, but given the current climate and the rising cost for low quality pitchers, it may be pitchers like Minor that the Royals have to rely on.

Next: Moore's Other Projects

What are your thoughts on trying for a pitcher like Mike Minor? What free agent pitchers would you most like to see the Royals go after? Is starting pitching even an area of need? Let’s discuss in the comment’s section below.

(All stats provided are courtesy of www.baseball-reference.com and www.spotrac.com)

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