The Royals are interested in Kevin Millwood, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The right-hander has averaged 31 starts since his first full season in 1998, so GM Dayton Moore likely sees him as a back-of-the-rotation innings eater.
Millwood has an All-Star appearance and an ERA title to his name, but at this point he's likely to post an ERA near 5.00 with about 6.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. In 190 2/3 innings as an Oriole, he posted a 5.10 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.
The Rockies have also expressed interest in Millwood, who could potentially benefit from a move to the NL. Since the Orioles didn't offer the 35-year-old arbitration, they won't obtain a compensatory draft pick if he signs elsewhere.
Yuck. The Royals should let some of their prospects play rather than sign Millwood, who will probably cost several times more. It’s not as though he is the missing piece of the puzzle for them.
No.
The Royals are wisely keeping their top pitching prospects in the minors so they can keep the core of the best minor league system in the Majors maturing at the same time.
2011 is going to suck with no hope of winning. The longer the team can resist the temptation to bring up top talent the longer that talent will be with the Major League team…look to 2013 – 2017 to be the Royals’ best window in 30 years…and don’t pull for them to bring up someone just because they can.
Another ex-Brave is going to the Braves AAAA affiliate in Kansas City.
Might have a better record in an easier division. There are worse players they could go after and probably will.
Why am I not surprised?
Dodgers should consider for Millwood as their #5. Less upside, but more reliable than Padilla.
I think I would rather have Padilla.
Although, if we are talking about upside at this point, both of theirs are in their rear-view mirrors.
If Padilla could remain healthy, I’d prefer him… but with guys like Ely and Haeger as our depth, I’d be fine with the reliability of a Millwood. Harang would also be fine.
Just the news Grienke was looking for
You beat me to it…
Why must we sign these bums…
becuase your GM has no clue what he is doing…he is probably playing each years version of mlb the show and thinking “oh well these guys played really well for my team, why cant they do it in real life?”
I just want you to remember this comment when the Royals are winning the division in a few years.
Are you aware that this ‘clueless’ GM has put together the best minor league system in the Majors? He signs these ‘bums’ right now to try to field something worth paying to see…but he realizes the realities he’s operating under – and cannot afford to spend $200 million to buy a team.
And don’t even try to say he’s any different from any other GM as far as FA signings go. The Giants have Barry Zito they’re paying un-Godly money to and he didn’t even suit up for the playoffs. Every team has bad signings. Get off his azz.
That makes little sense.. Do you think that based on Zito’s performance since he signed that contract he would be able to get it again??
No GM is saying hey well the giants and every other team have bad signings, so I might as well pick up Kevin Millwood, its only fair….
Also, drafting well and navigating through the free agent market are TWO different things. A GM could be clueless in one respect but excel in the other.
That’s not my point. My point is that DM has his share of bad signings just like any other GM, yet seems to get bashed way more (especially by Royals fans) than the others.
I’m not saying it makes sense to sign Millwood, what I’m saying is it is unfair to call DM clueless – no GM bats 1.000 with FAs signings.
the reason why they have put together such a good minor league system is because their major league team is so horrible every year and they keep getting good draft picks. atleast the rays were able to turn thier good minor league players into good major league players instead of keeping them in the minors. and lets remember two years ago when this gm traded leo nunez for what’s his face from the marlins who they cut after the year and then traded another good reliever for coco crisp who they let walk at the end of the year and then to “replenish” their relief corps he signed farnzworth and gave up a high second round pick for juan cruz. You have just been schooled by a twins fan but i guess you are probably used to it by now since the twins kick the royals every year
cant wait to see “royals sign francour to a 3 year deal”
Yeah, if that news doesn’t boost ticket sales, nothing will.
This I can see.
But I’d rather have that than the meglomaniac the White Sox have as manager.
In other news, lately, Kevin Millwood was taken to the hospital due to signs of severe depression
I kinda like Millwood. I think he’ll put up decent numbers away from the AL East. Definitely an improvement for the Royals.
I don’t get it. Millwood is a below average starter at this point, the fact that he eats innings isn’t valuable if those innings are bad innings. I’ve always said of guys like Millwood, if you think he’s good enough to improve the performance of your pitching staff then your pitching staff isn’t good enough to contend anyway, so don’t bother wasting money on him. Bring up a young guy, let him throw just as many innings as Millwood would have. Let him work through trouble instead of pulling him early and limiting his innings. Maybe you get an ERA of 6.00 out of him rather than the 5.00 Millwood would have given you but then you were probably going to lose that game anyway and you’ve saved millions of dollars and gotten one of your prospects experience.
Frankly I just don’t get the fascination with bad veteran starters. Like I said, anyone can eat innings if you’re willing to live with the results, which you have to be with Millwood. I’d rather give those innings to a cheap, young kid who has the potential to get better and help the team in the future.
1. Sign Kevin Millwood
2. Sign Jeff Francoeur
3. ???????
4. PROFIT!!!
A lot of our guys in the minors still need a little time in AAA… we need one maybe 2 stop gap guys… Millwood would fit that bill
A lot of our guys in the minors still need a little time in AAA… we need one maybe 2 stop gap guys… Millwood would fit that bill
you guys are all acting like it’s totally crazy to sign millwood. it’s not like he’s an improvement but he’s only going to cost between 2-4 mil for his contract anyways. He’s actually an improvement over davies or bannister and is going to be cheaper than either one of them anyways. besides our pitching prospects are atleast another year away. The only guy i see getting any shot at the bigs at all this year is Lamb and he won’t be here until atleast July
Lamb, Everett Teaford, Dan Duffy and Mike Montgomery should all get a strong look during the season. Teaford may make the rotation out of Spring Training. Relievers Louis Coleman, Blaine Hardy, Tim Collins and Patrick Keating should also come up at some point early.
you guys are all acting like it’s totally crazy to sign millwood. it’s not like he’s an improvement but he’s only going to cost between 2-4 mil for his contract anyways. He’s actually an improvement over davies or bannister and is going to be cheaper than either one of them anyways. besides our pitching prospects are atleast another year away. The only guy i see getting any shot at the bigs at all this year is Lamb and he won’t be here until atleast July
What’s wrong with them signing stopgap guys? They did last year and sold them all off for useful pieces. No risk involved, and it’s better than rushing prospects who may not be ready and stunting their development.
They have massive holes in the rotation and the outfield, they should at least try and fill them a little instead of totally conceding the season before it begins.
I’d rather the team sign Millwood than rush any of our younger guys up from the minors. And if he’s halfway decent, maybe he can be flipped for some prospect near the deadline. It’s not like the team will likely compete next season, and I’d rather have Glass continue to be used to a budget of $70+ million every year instead of pocketing it (though if it takes away from the draft, I’d rather it be spent on the draft).
The Royals have no starters other than Zack Greinke who averaged even six innings per start last year. They had the second most used bullpen in the AL last year that would be even more overworked next year if anything happens to Greinke. Millwood = innings eater + mentor for young pitchers. He’ll probably do better in the bigger ballparks in the AL Central (having posted a 2.86 ERA with the Indians in 2005), although the Royals’ abysmal defense will offset some of that.
The Royals have no starters other than Zack Greinke who averaged even six innings per start last year. They had the second most used bullpen in the AL last year that would be even more overworked next year if anything happens to Greinke. Millwood = innings eater + mentor for young pitchers. He’ll probably do better in the bigger ballparks in the AL Central (having posted a 2.86 ERA with the Indians in 2005), although the Royals’ abysmal defense will offset some of that.
The Royals are looking for stop gap until the prospects start arriving, which is what Millwood would be. There would be no harm in this signing, as they do not need to rush any of their pitching prospects, so Millwood would not be taking time away from a younger player. Plus they wouldn’t have to give him a long term deal.
Eh, why not? Most of the pitchers we’re growing and nowhere near ready, and he’s probably better off than anybody else we can get with our budget.
If the Royals are going to sign Millwood, give the third baseman shin guards so he can protect himself.
If Moustakas gets the job, then sure, but if we bring back Wilson Betemit or get a Millwood-equivalent FA, screw it, not gonna waste shin guards on a spare part.
what do you have against betemit? all the guy did for us is rake
That’s too easy to chalk up to a fluke season. For about 99.99% of his career, the dude wasn’t even AAAA good.
If the Royals are going to sign Millwood, give the third baseman shin guards so he can protect himself.
does this guy even pitch 200 innings? i know padilla can be great in spurts, but his health ruined this yr for the dodgers.
does this guy even pitch 200 innings? i know padilla can be great in spurts, but his health ruined this yr for the dodgers.
Millwood has filled the role of Ace for many years. He always gets his innings. He always competes. The Ballpark at Arlington had alot to do with his ERA, as did Camden Yards. He’s a great value, takes some burden off Zack with Meche leaving the #2 hole. That allows Hochevar to remain at #3, and improve his chances of winning. The Young starters will begin the year in AAA for two reasons. !st they need the time there, and will be better pitchers by doing their time. 2nd, When you have to make roster cuts at the end of Spring training you have to hang onto as many players under control as possible. They all stay down so you don’t use an option, unless one of the left handers is head and shoulders above the rest. Duffy and Teaford are the biggest candidates because they are older. The next crop of Montgomery, Lamb, and Arguelles are all right behind them. Kinda like Dusty Hughes, they’ll get a shot and go to the bullpen if deemed not the guy to take a rotation spot.