The Royals are planning to decline their $10MM mutual option on right-hander Edinson Volquez in favor of a $3MM buyout, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. The decision on Volquez is at least partially driven by a desire to decrease payroll from the 2016 season’s franchise-record mark of $144MM, he writes. Not surprisingly, the Royals are planning to exercise their $10MM option on closer Wade Davis and their $6.5MM club option on shortstop Alcides Escobar, Heyman adds.
There was a point at which some pundits pegged the 33-year-old Volquez as a potential qualifying offer candidate, but that always seemed like something of a long shot, and the veteran’s poor performance down the stretch likely eliminated any such notion on the Royals’ part. Volquez finished up the season with a 5.37 ERA, 6.6 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 51.9 percent ground-ball rate in 189 1/3 innings, but his performance over the final three and a half months was notably worse than that ultimate ERA would indicate. Volquez’s ERA sat at 3.90 after a solid two-and-a-half-month stretch to open the year, but he labored to a 6.58 ERA over his final 104 innings. In that stretch, he surrendered 76 earned runs on 134 hits and 43 walks with just 72 strikeouts.
Ups and downs are nothing new for Volquez, who burst onto the scene as an All-Star and Rookie of the Year candidate in 2008 before trailing off to a roughly league-average starter in the two subsequent seasons and eventually dropping to the point where he was released by the Padres in 2013. Volquez, like many others, had a career renaissance in Pittsburgh in 2014, earning him a two-year, $20MM contract with the Royals that spanned the 2015-16 campaigns. While he delivered in the first season of that deal — 3.55 ERA in 200 1/3 innings — the second season was, clearly, not as successful. He’ll now hit a woefully thin free-agent market for pitchers and seek another resurgence — likely on a one-year deal.
As for Davis, Heyman writes that there’s a belief the Royals will at least entertain trade scenarios for the All-Star this offseason. That’s not a shocking development, as Davis’ name came up in trade rumors for much of the month of July before a forearm strain landed him on the disabled list through the non-waiver deadline. Trading Davis, of course, would be difficult, as the Royals would want to extract full value while other clubs may be wary about a pitcher that battled forearm issues on multiple occasions in 2016. Dealing Ian Kennedy would be an alternative means of shedding payroll, he notes, but from where I sit it’s difficult to envision dealing Kennedy even after a strong finish to the season. Kennedy’s contract is teeming with downside, as any acquiring club would likely would be faced with the risk of Kennedy opting out after just one season if he performs well but would be stuck with him at four years and a total of $62.5MM by virtue of his backloaded contract.
The Royals “aren’t anxious” to trade any of Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas or Escobar, Heyman adds, so Dayton Moore and his lieutenants will need to come up with some creative means in which they can trim some payroll. Kansas City does have Volquez, Kendrys Morales and Luke Hochevar coming off the books, but those subtractions will be canceled out by what figure to be substantial arbitration raises for Hosmer and Danny Duffy as well as built-in contractual raises for Kennedy, Cain, Moustakas, Alex Gordon, Joakim Soria, Yordano Ventura, Mike Minor, Chris Young and Salvador Perez.
The royals seriously wnt out and got some of the worst talent availbe last season.
Kennedy, Soria , C Young, its almost like they were trying to lose
Kennedy did a very good job for the Royals this year.
Kennedy was worth 4.1 rwar, just an awkward contract moving forward. Soria was a stretch but he also added a walk per nine and career high homer rate out of nowhere so expect a bounce back.chris young was 750k for rotation depth… No problem there. The idea that hosmer is a core piece for them is dumb though. First basemen who put up 1 or 2 war aren’t hard to find and for less. They should definantly move him before people realize he’s James loney. The main problem is this, they knew the position they were going to be in and chose to go for it again when in reality they should have started the rebuild this year. They could have got back enough to be ready to compete again in 2 years but now these guys on 1 year contracts aren’t as valuable. Can you imagine trading Cain with 2 cheap years left after a 6 win season? Huge haul. Davis and Herrera? can you say Chapman and miller… Small market teams can’t be nostalgic or have that one last go for it, if you trade a player you get value for years after, letting them walk gets none.
Chris Young is on a three-year deal worth 11.5 million, not on a 750k contract.
Hosmer is a huge piece to the community here in KC, I see him taking a sort of discount like Longoria did a few years ago. As for the others Cain, Moustakas idk what will happen with them.
Volquez exceeded rookie limits in 2007…
Yes but still got votes in 2008 as well
bbwaa mistake. oops.
Yep. That was the famous year when some lazy writers didn’t even bother to check if he was qualified. I actually believe two of the writers who voted for him were kicked out of the BBWAA after that season.
Unsurprising to say the least I mean he was dreadful this year
Prime Cashman target. 1 year pillow contract with Rothschild the pitcher fixer could work well for both sides.
If the Royals are willing to eat $3 million do you think they would be willing to pick up the option and send trade him to the Braves along with that $3 million for a mid level prospect maybe say a Gant or Weber.
We need 2 veteran SP but with the prospects coming we don’t neccessarily need any long term contracts in the rotation. I wouldn’t mind them moving some of those prospects though for say a Chris Sale or Chris Archer.
Why? They are going to suck. Let them suck with gant in the rotation.
Rothschild ain’t no pitcher fixer. See Ivan Nove
alex gordon was their worst sign last year
I’ll agree with that. It was the necessary effect of winning a title I suppose. It wasnt a purely baseball decision. What, in the end, will be the downfall of this current Royals era will be their loyalty pressing their checkbook. They’ll be good enough next season to press for the playoffs, but in the end it’ll keep them from trading key pieces. That, or they will hold pieces and have decline level players surrounded by young talent not quite on par with how this successful team was built. It’ll potentially be a small market Yankees.
Sad to say…but the best scenario for the future just might be that the Royals are at the point of being sellers at the deadline next season.
They should trade Davis, Cain and moustakas. They did it with Greinke, and it was a huge factor in their World Series win. The roster is not that great, it looks like Detroit and Cleveland are clearly better, and the sox will likely try to improve this offseason. Bite the bullet next year, and hopefully be good for the foreseeable future, or be stuck in mediocrity
Yup. Literally trade everyone but perez, mondesi, ventura. Perez is signed long term and cheap, ventura is signed long term and would be selling low so I would hold.
I can honestly see the argument for Davis and Moustakas, but there is no way you trade Cain. With Cain they still can compete and you know how much someone will pay for him at the deadline?
They can tear some of it down but they own it to that core to make another honest run.
Morales is gone, so they just lost their best hitter and have no money to spend. They don’t owe anyone anything. the teams future is all that should matter.
Sorry my Cain point got deleted. But over the last 5 seasons he has averaged 110 games per year. You want to take the risk he gets hurt again and returns nothing? That’s literally one third of every year he is in the dl.
Cmon on back to Pittsburgh. Going to be looking for veteran arms
Royals ownership blows, have money won’t spend it!
yep, because highest payroll in club history in back to back to back seasons and two trips to the world series proves that statement
WOW! Good news for the Angels who will have plenty of arms to choose in the off season ….