The Royals appear to be progressing toward a new contract with Bruce Chen, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. The Royals have offered Chen, a Type B free agent, arbitration in anticipation of tonight’s deadline for teams to offer deals to ranked free agents.
“I know he wants to be here, and we want him here,” GM Dayton Moore told Dutton. “The feeling is mutual. We’d like to get something done before the Winter Meetings. I think we’re getting closer.”
Chen appears to be asking for a two-year deal worth more than $10MM, according to Dutton. He has already obtained multiyear offers this offseason. The 34-year-old Scott Boras client posted a 3.77 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 155 innings for the Royals this past season. Moore says the Royals are looking to add one or two more pitchers to compete with their internal candidates, even after trading for left-hander Jonathan Sanchez.
If I were the Royals, I would save my money here (Chen) and try to sign Oswalt.
That’s what I would do. As a matter of fact, maybe I should become a Royals fan and ask Dayton Moore for a job. LOL. Seriously, though Chen had a decent year for them in 2011, but if they are looking to improve their rotation let go Chen and go for Oswalt.
I thought he was going to the Marlins
so…
Hochevar
Chen
Sanchez
Duffy
?????
Lotta options for that last spot. Surely not gonna be Paulino. Maybe John Lamb vs. Outside Free Agent? Looks like an improvement over last year either way. Maybe a .500+ season if the offense keeps improving… Royals only had a -32 run differential by the end of the season last year.
Paulino had a 4.11 ERA in 20 starts for KC this year, and a 8.59 K/9. Lamb will not be a candidate due to recovery from Tommy John surgery.
Paulino is the front runner for the rotation out of a list that includes Vin Mazzaro, Sean O’Sullivan, Mike Montgomery, Luis Mendoza, and Aaron Crow.
When Chen was on the Orioles he had these like 6th inning jokes that were shown on the scoreboard. They had like a full season of jokes taped. The guy had an ERA of almost 7 that season so early on they stopped showing the jokes. That is my memory of Bruce Chen.
They still show his jokes in KC! I like Chen, but I like Oswalt better.
Roy Oswalt is a Type A free agent, why on God’s green earth would the Royals dump a bunch of money and a fracking first round draft pick into a 34 y/o Roy Oswalt that is five years past his prime?