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Royals Re-Sign Xavier Nady, George Sherrill

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The Royals announced that they have re-signed outfielder Xavier Nady and left-hander George Sherrill. Kansas City cut both players in advance of yesterday's deadline for Article XX(B) free agents in order to avoid paying them a $100K retention bonus.

Nady, 34, hit .184/.253/.316 in 166 plate appearances for the Nationals and Giants last season.  The veteran posted a strong .289/.342/.480 batting line in 2006-09 for the Mets, Pirates, and Yankees but hasn't looked quite the same since undergoing Tommy John surgery during the '09 campaign.  Since then, he's hit .237/.288/.347 in 260 games between four organizations.

Sherrill, who turns 36 in April, appeared in just two games for the Mariners last season before a torn UCL in his left elbow led to Tommy John surgery.  Sherrill has a 3.77 ERA, 8.9 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 across parts of nine big league seasons.

Royals Acquire Desmond Henry

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The Royals announced that they have acquired outfielder Desmond Henry from the Rangers to complete the November deal that sent Tommy Hottovy to Texas.  The deal called for KC to receive a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Henry, 19, was the Rangers' fourth-round pick in the 2011 draft and signed with the club for $200K.  The switch-hitting outfielder boasts tremendous speed and has the potential grow into a strong defensive player.

Minor Moves: Townsend, Royals, Green, Geltz

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 Here are some of today's minor moves:

  • Tyler Townsend, an Orioles' first base prospect who impressed when healthy but could not overcome his myriad injuries, has announced his retirement, reports Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com. Despite his "great swing," Townsend ultimately "was just not enjoying the process" due to the series of hamstring, wrist, and hip injuries he suffered, explained O's director of player developmet Brian Graham.
  • The Royals have released minor league pitchers Michael Giovenco, Jose Jimenez, Leondy Perez, and Elisaul Pimentel, reports Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star. K.C. originally acquired Pimentel before the 2010 trade deadline along with catcher Lucas May, in a deal that sent Scott Podsednik to the Dodgers.
  • Marlins infielder Nick Green has been "sent down" by Miami and "may consider opting out" of his deal with the club, CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman tweets. Green elected free agency when he was outrighted to Triple-A by the Marlins last fall, only to return to the club on a minor league deal in January.
  • Righty Steve Geltz was outrighted by the Angels today and will head to the club's Triple-A affiliate, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports on Twitter. The move opens a 40-man roster spot for the Angels. Geltz, 25, saw his first big league action last year for L.A., logging just two innings in relief. While Geltz posted a 0.36 ERA in 25 1/3 Double-A innings last year, he sported a 5.08 ERA in his 33 2/3 innings at Triple-A Salt Lake.

Royals Release Nady, Sherrill

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The Royals have released Xavier Nady and George Sherrill, reports Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). Both players signed minor league deals with Kansas City this offseason, and the organization hopes to re-sign both.

Both Nady and Sherrill were Article XX(B) free agents, meaning the Royals would have had to pay each player a $100K retention bonus if they remained within the organization by noon ET tomorrow. Instead, general manager Dayton Moore will have the opportunity to work out new deals with the pair, but they're both free to explore options with other teams.

Nady, 34, batted .184/.253/.316 between the Nationals and Giants last season. From 2006-09, Nady posted a strong .289/.342/.480 batting line in 410 games for the Mets, Pirates and Yankees. However, his 2009 campaign was cut short when he needed Tommy John surgery, and he's never regained his form at the plate. Since returning from the injury, he's batted .237/.288/.347 in 260 games between four organizations.

Sherrill, who turns 36 in a few weeks, appeared in just two games for the Mariners last season before a torn UCL in his left elbow led to Tommy John surgery. He had yet to appear in a Spring Training game for the Royals, as his surgery didn't take place until May of last year. Sherrill has a 3.77 ERA, 8.9 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 324 1/3 Major League innings between the Mariners, Dodgers, Orioles and Braves.

Minor Moves: Nats, Royals, Cust, Padres, Puckett

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Here are a few of today's minor moves from around baseball:

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

Royals Release Endy Chavez

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The Royals announced that they released outfielder Endy Chavez (Twitter link). The Legacy Agency represents Chavez, who is now a free agent.

The Royals added Chavez on a minor league deal in December after he spent the 2012 season with Baltimore. Chavez played all three outfield positions for the Orioles last year, posting a .203/.236/.278 batting line in 169 plate appearances. The 35-year-old has played for seven teams in his 11-year MLB career.

Kyle Lohse Rumors: Thursday

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Agent Scott Boras told Peter Gammons of MLB Network that right-hander Kyle Lohse won’t wait until after the upcoming amateur draft to sign with a new team. Here’s the latest on which teams are interested in the free agent…

  • The Rockies have done their due diligence on Lohse, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. However, the club would have to increase payroll to sign Lohse and the sides would only complete a deal “if by a very, very remote chance he just flat-out doesn’t have anything,” in the words of Rosenthal’s source. The right-hander wants to match Ryan Dempster’s two-year, $26.5MM contract, Rosenthal reports. The Rangers and Brewers are maintaining contact with Lohse. 
  • One week after Spring Training began, Lohse was asking for a three-year, $45MM contract, Yahoo’s Jeff Passan reports (on Twitter). That asking price has continued to drop.

Earlier updates:

  • Lohse could be close to contributing at the MLB level, Yahoo's Tim Brown reports (on Twitter). The 34-year-old is throwing 90-pitch simulated games in Arizona.
  • The Angels maintain that they don’t have interest in Lohse, but the door isn’t fully closed, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (Twitterlinks). 
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin doesn't want to surrender the 17th overall draft pick to obtain Lohse, Bowden reports. The Royals aren’t interested, Bowden notes.
  • Despite speculation that the Reds could get involved with Lohse, GM Walt Jocketty told reporters not to expect anything. When asked about the pitcher, Jocketty said, "Who? Why? We couldn't afford him," according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AL Central Notes: Tuiasosopo, Indians, Royals

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IF/OF Matt Tuiasosopo won a spring training invite with the Tigers after emailing GM Dave Dombrowski his resume, MLive.com's James Schmehl reports. "I just sent it to Dave and told him I was interested in being a part of the organization," says Tuiasosopo. "At the end of the day, it’s my career and I wanted to fight for myself." The Dodgers, Reds, Rockies and Twins were all possible options for Tuiasosopo. Here are more notes from around the AL Central:

Offseason In Review: Kansas City Royals

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After improving their starting rotation the Royals can be considered a sleeper team entering the 2013 season. 

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

  • Wil Myers, Vin Mazzaro, Joakim Soria, Mike Montgomery, Brandon Sisk, Patrick Leonard.

Needs Addressed

Dayton Moore made his move this offseason, exchanging one of the game’s top prospects for a dependable frontline starter. The Royals also re-worked the back of the rotation in an effort to improve their starting pitching and become a well-rounded team capable of contending for the postseason.

Not only does James Shields contribute on the field, he’s under team control through 2014 at a reasonable rate. It’s no surprise he had substantial trade value. Yet it was surprising to many that Moore parted with top prospect Wil Myers to obtain Shields and Wade Davis. The Royals still have a strong system without Myers, and their pitching staff now looks much stronger. As Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explained, this depth figured in to the club’s decision making back in December, when multiple teams were pursuing Shields.

Giving up Myers was a bold move that generated lots of criticism. The Royals know Myers better than any organization, so they get the benefit of the doubt to an extent. However, generally speaking an elite prospect on the cusp of the Major Leagues has more value than a frontline starter under team control for two seasons. Plus, Odorizzi and Montgomery are significant pieces. It stands to reason that Shields will help the Royals in 2013-14 more than Myers would have, though the balance shifts for the next five years, when Myers will remain under team control.

Davis will also start for the Royals, along with another newcomer. The Royals traded for Ervin Santana, giving up no significant players while agreeing to take on considerable salary. Santana had a disappointing season in Los Angeles and at $12MM represents more than an impulse buy. It’s just a one-year commitment, but the salary probably exceeds Santana's free agent market value.

Jeremy Guthrie returns on a three-year deal (more on his contract later) to round out the rotation along with Bruce Chen. This bumps Luke Hochevar to the bullpen for now, and begs the question ‘might it have been simpler and more cost-effective to non-tender Hochevar in November?’ 

The Royals made the prudent decision to decline Joakim Soria's 2013 option shortly after the World Series. With many capable relievers already in the organization, the front office didn't have to spend on relief help this winter.

Questions Remaining

The Royals enter the season with Chris Getz and Johnny Giavotella at second base. While the free agent market for second baseman was lackluster, the Royals could have traded for a short-term option to handle the position while Christian Colon’s development continues. I suggested early in the offseason that a deal for someone like Skip Schumaker would have made sense. Instead the Royals must allocate playing time on the fly and hope they get average production, a proposition that seems unlikely for now.

Jeff Francoeur is a question mark for the Royals following an unproductive 2012 season. Still just 29, Francoeur added value as recently as 2011. However, now that Myers is in Tampa Bay the Royals don't have a clear alternative in case Francoeur hits poorly again in 2013. Hopefully ownership will be prepared to spend on upgrades in the outfield and at second base if they're required midseason.

In general the Royals have a young group of position players. There’s upside in Kansas City to be sure, with up and coming players such as Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas joining established stars like Billy Butler and Alex Gordon. Yet with youth comes the reality that players like Hosmer are still developing at the MLB level.

The Royals face questions in their rotation, though it's looking stronger than it has in recent years. Santana posted a 5.16 ERA in 2012 and must pitch better to justify the Royals' acquisition.

Plus, Davis returns to the rotation after pitching effectively out of the bullpen for the 2012 Rays. Credit Davis for his relief work, but don't expect those numbers to translate in 2013. His career strikeout rate, home run rate and batting average on balls in play are substantially better as a reliever, indicating his numbers will drop off in the rotation.

Deal of Note

The Royals clearly wanted Guthrie back, and they were willing to spend to keep him following a strong half season in Kansas City. Overpaying a little to sign a free agent you really want makes sense, especially for teams that haven't historically had an easy time convincing players to join their organizations. But the Royals didn't overpay by a little.

Four free agent starting pitchers obtained deals of at least three years this past winter: Zack Greinke, Anibal Sanchez, Edwin Jackson and Guthrie. Not only are Greinke, Sanchez and Jackson coming off of stronger seasons than Guthrie, they're all just 29 years old.

Guthrie, who turns 34 next month, is hittable and homer prone. While he limits walks, he doesn't strike many hitters out or induce a particularly high percentage of ground balls. He's useful, but he's not an impact pitcher. The Royals’ decision to pay him like one was questionable at the time, and looks worse now that comparable pitchers have signed for far less. Spending $25MM to bolster the back of a rotation doesn’t seem necessary in today’s market.

Overview

Moore improved the Royals’ pitching staff and, in doing so, increased the chances that they contend in 2013. This team is vulnerable in many areas, however, so fans may have to wait until 2014 or beyond for the next contending Royals team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rosenthal On Lohse, Royals, Porcello, Dodgers

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Kyle Lohse is starting to get "antsy" about not yet having a contract, says Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Much of Rosenthal's item on Lohse focuses, however, on the possibility that the Cardinals won't get a compensation pick for Lohse, which would happen if Lohse doesn't sign with a new team before the draft in June. Rosenthal writes that Lohse's situation might encourage MLB to allow sign-and-trades, which would give teams who don't wish to lose draft choices more flexibility to sign players who have declined qualifying offers. Here's more from Rosenthal …

  • Rosenthal reports that the Royals are looking for an outfielder they can use in place of Jeff Francoeur against good right-handed pitching.
  • The Padres like Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello, Rosenthal notes, but are unwilling to part with a "top reliever." The Angels might make sense as a destination for Porcello, but the Angels are currently more concerned with finding a backup catcher and a relief pitcher.
  • The Dodgers still appear likely to deal either Chris Capuano or Aaron Harang.
  • Chris Snyder of the Nationals is almost certain to be dealt before the season begins, Rosenthal says.
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