Kansas City Royals: 2020 free agent options, Part I: Pitchers

With so many of the Kansas City Royals young pitchers still some time away from making the Major League squad, the Royals will have to sign a free agent pitcher (or two) to improve. In all likelihood, whatever pitcher joins the team will do so on a short-term deal.

And that makes sense. The Royals will need to keep financial flexibility for when the time comes that Moore, owner David Glass and whoever the manager may be decide to turn things up a notch. When it’s time to truly compete again. That could be as soon as 2021.

Or it could be 2022.

But it won’t be 2020.

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Still, the organization needs to present a quality product on the field, and that means acquiring some pitching help, regardless of whether it’s a starting pitcher, reliever or a dude who can do both.

Besides the four pitchers under Pipe Dreams, I’d prefer the Royals target Wacha, Nova, Holland, Blevins, and/or Gibson. None of those five is a game-changer, but each one would be able to help the Royals in several ways: in games, by pushing the team’s current pitchers in competing for rotation or bullpen spots, and in showing the ropes to the younger pitchers.

And while this shouldn’t be the sole reason the Royals sign any of those pitchers, it’s an added bonus that each of them could be trade bait at some point during 2020 if they pitch well. On the other hand, if they don’t pitch well, and the contract is just for a single season, no big deal.

But it’s clear that additions to the pitching staff need to be made, either through free agency or via trade. With the Kansas City Royals clearly in hoarding prospects mode, it most likely won’t be through trade. It will be through free agency.

Here’s to Moore making some solid additions to the pitching staff this Winter.

I’ll be back soon with Part II wherein I take a look at free agent batters: four outfielders and four infielders.