Kansas City Royals: A Look At The 2016 Offseason

Continuing on with Kennedy, what if I told you it’s really only a two-year contract? Would that make you feel better? How about two years for 30 million?

That sits a lot better with me, but I’m of the opinion that there really is no such thing as a bad short-term contract.

If everything goes well, that’s exactly how this contract will shape up. While the exact dollar figures remain unknown, we do know that Kennedy can opt out of the contract after two years. This is becoming the norm with any big contract nowadays.

It’s no coincidence that Kennedy’s opt-out year coincides with the Royals projected window of winning opportunity. Everyone estimates the Royals have this year and next with the club intact, and talented enough to contend.

So, if Kennedy pitches reasonably well, he’ll be gone after two seasons. That helps on multiple fronts.

So, if Kennedy pitches reasonably well, he’ll be gone after two seasons. That helps on multiple fronts. One, it saves the Royals from having to pay whatever is left of that $70 million contract. Two, it frees up money they can throw at trying to retain some of their other talent (Hosmer, Moustakas, Cain, Escobar, etc.).

Lastly, and again I’m assuming Kennedy pitches reasonably well, he’ll sign elsewhere, and net the Royals a draft pick. That sure sounds a lot better to me than believing the Royals are on the hook for the duration of that contract.

Flying under the radar a little are the signings of Dillon Gee and John Lannan. Both have a history of being solid back of the rotation pitchers, and both are signed to minor-league contracts with the Royals for depth purposes. I think both would provide an uptick in production over what we got from Guthrie, so these were both wise signings by Moore.

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