KC Royals News: Ian Kennedy and the Detroit Tigers
KC Royals news today focuses on the team signing Ian Kennedy, extending Lorenzo Cain, and the new pitching rotation.
The KC Royals aren’t kidding around anymore. General manager Dayton Moore and the Royals’ front office have agreed with free agent pitcher Ian Kennedy on a 5-year, $70 million deal. This comes as a surprise to most because of the Royals’ history with spending on free agents. He should step in right away as one of the Royals’ top two starting pitchers.
KC Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain was also signed over the last couple of days. Cain and the team agreed to a 2-year extension which should keep fans very happy. In my opinion, Cain is the heartbeat of this team and without him the culture in the locker room would change a lot. This is a very important signing by the Royals.
With this talented roster, it wouldn’t surprise to see them play into October again.
With a taste of winning the World Series for the first time in 30 years and making it to the World Series two straight years, it is obvious that owner David Glass wants to make it three straight years.
In other news, the Detroit Tigers have signed free agent outfielder Justin Upton to an extremely lucrative deal. Upton and the Tigers agreed to a 6-year, $133 million deal that proves that they think they can keep up with the Royals. The Tigers have a pretty consistent over-paying problem with their last couple of signings, let’s hope this is no different.
Here are KC Royals news and notes from around FanSided and the rest of the internet:
KC Royals: Royals Ink Ian Kennedy to Five Year Deal [KC Kingdom]
"Kennedy is known as an extreme fly ball pitcher and that may play well in Kauffman stadium. Re-uniting with pitching coach Dave Eiland probably won’t hurt either. If he can tweak his mechanics enough to get him back into 2011 form that would be phenomenal."
MLB’s top 10 defenses: Royals edge D-backs for top spot [ESPN]
Royals agree to 2-year deal with outfielder Lorenzo Cain [KCTV5.com]
"The rumors and reports became reality Monday afternoon. The Royals announced they have agreed to a two-year contract with outfielder Lorenzo Cain, avoiding arbitration. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The signing of Cain Monday leaves the Kansas City Royals with just one unsigned arbitration-eligible player – third baseman Mike Moustakas."
KC Royals: Projecting the Starting Rotation for 2016 [KC Kingdom]
Will the Royals regret signing Ian Kennedy? [MLB Dailydish]
"He’s a perfectly decent right handed pitcher, providing roughly the same value over the last four years as Mike Leake, but with a lot more volatility. That the Royals were able to sign Kennedy for $10 million less is a function of him being three years older, but still has the potential to be a comparative bargain to the deal Leake signed with the Cardinals. Still, neither of these signings are likely to hurt the Royals or the Cardinals in 2016."
Royals make risky move with five-year, $70M contract for Ian Kennedy [Sports Illustrated]
KC Royals And Mike Moustakas Far Apart After Arbitration Exchange [Kings of Kauffman]
"The KC Royals and third baseman Mike Moustakas find themselves far apart after they exchanged arbitration numbers last Friday. The Kansas City Royals came in with a $4.2 million proposal, while Moustakas countered with $7 million."
KC Royals: Yankees Claim Reserve OF Lane Adams [Kings of Kauffman]
Justin Upton, Detroit Tigers agree to six-year, $132.75 million deal [USA Today]
It seems like the Royals aren’t the only team in the division to want to make a splash in 2016. The Detroit Tigers are all in as well with the very lucrative deal they handed to Justin Upton.
Next: Moose Proved Himself in 2015
Let me hear what you think about today’s KC Royals news in the comments section below!
Justin Upton, Detroit Tigers agree to six-year, $132.75 million deal [USA Today]