Royals Claim Jacob Barnes
The Royals have claimed righty Jacob Barnes off waivers from Milwaukee and optioned him to Triple-A Omaha, the team reports.
Though Barnes did struggle to prevent runs for the Crew this season, it’s a bit of a surprise to see the 29-year-old dangled on waivers given his stellar track record in Milwaukee. In 167 innings for the Crew since his debut in 2016, Barnes posted a very respectable 3.93 ERA/3.68 FIP, numbers which, when park-adjusted for the Brewers’ bandbox of a yard, place him firmly within reliable 7th-inning territory. Barnes’ homer rate, like so many across the league, shot up to a career-worst 1.37 per nine this season, and his command temporarily abandoned him (5.03 BB/9), but it shouldn’t be a lengthy reclamation project for the 6’2 righty.
There’s an argument to be made that Barnes is already Kansas City’s second-best reliever; his track record, anyway, is second to only longtime starter Ian Kennedy’s in its patchwork unit. His initial report to Omaha, if more than simple posturing, should end quickly: the club needs another quality arm as soon as it can get it.
Royals Release Lucas Duda
The Royals announced Monday that they’ve requested unconditional release waivers on first baseman/designated hitter Lucas Duda. He’ll be a free agent in 48 hours once he clears.
Kansas City designated Duda, 33, for assignment over the weekend. He signed a minor league contract with the club in Spring Training after being cut loose from a similar pact he’d signed with the Twins. However, Duda mustered only a .171/.252/.324 batting line with four home runs in 119 trips to the plate in his second stint with the Royals. Given the magnitude of those struggles and the number of alternate options — Ryan O’Hearn, Cheslor Cuthbert and even Frank Schwindel, who was released over Duda early in the year — it’s a bit surprising that Duda lasted on the roster as long as he did.
Duda’s track record against right-handed pitching could get him a minor league deal elsewhere once he reaches the open market. He’s a lifetime .249/.351/.481 hitter when holding the platoon advantage at the Major League level, and he hit .264/.336/.477 in such situations just last year. But Duda is also strictly a first baseman, if not a pure designated hitter in the eyes of clubs around the league at this point in his career. If he’s to find his way back onto a big league roster, he’ll likely need to head to Triple-A and show some signs of life against minor league opposition in order to earn another look.
Royals Designate Lucas Duda For Assignment
The Royals have designated 1B/DH Lucas Duda for assignment and recalled 1B Ryan O’Hearn in his place, the team reports.
Duda, 33, produced in volume for the Mets clubs of the mid- and early-decade, but has fallen on hard times since a 2017 trade to the Rays. In 119 plate appearances for Kansas City this season, the lefty slashed a putrid .171/.252/.324 (47 wRC+) and appeared in just 19 games at first base. His long track record of righty-mashing will be hard for certain clubs to ignore, but it’s possible this is the end of the line for Duda, who’s cracked 156 MLB homers thus far.
Following an out-of-nowhere 2018, in which O’Hearn posted a 153 wRC+ in limited action despite an uneven-at-best minor-league track record, the 26-year-old has fallen back to earth in ’19, slashing a mere .186/.286/.333 in near-full-time action at the season’s outset. He’ll likely again be in line for at least semi-regular at-bats for a club that’s long since fallen out of the race.
Athletics Acquire Jake Diekman
The A’s have acquired Jake Diekman from the Royals, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Kansas City will receive prospects Ismael Aquino and Dairon Blanco in return.
In its push for a second consecutive playoff appearance, the A’s appear to again be double and tripling down on an already-staunch bullpen. The 32-year-old Diekman’s long had issue with the free pass – the lefty hasn’t walked under four per nine since 2013 – but is setting down hitters at a career-best rate: indeed, his 13.61 K/9 is over two batters per nine higher than his previous season best. Diekman’s park-adjusted peripherals place him firmly within the game’s top 30 relievers at present, and he’ll join an Oakland pen that’s already notched MLB’s second-highest fWAR total, behind only the Yankees.
Diekman, who’s owed approximately $700K over the remainder of the season, has a $5.75MM mutual option on his deal for 2020, a figure that’ll likely be declined on the player’s side if the lefty continues on his current pace. It should be no matter for the A’s, who control each of bullpen stalwarts Joakim Soria, Yusmeiro Petit, Liam Hendriks, Blake Treinen, and Lou Trivino through at least next season.
As they did last season in the team’s winner-take-all bout with the Yankees, the A’s appear to be gearing up for a potential all-bullpen Wild Card alignment. After nominal ace Frankie Montas was suspended for a PED violation, it’s been mostly hope-and-pray in the team’s rotation. Mike Fiers has delivered quality outings, but deeper peripherals don’t augur well for the season’s close; ditto with Brett Anderson, who’s also managed to avoid major injury for one of the few times in his career. Chris Bassitt and Daniel Mengden have had moments, but it may be white-flag time where the division is concerned for the A’s, who sit 8.0 GB of Houston in the AL West despite just a half-game deficit in the second Wild-Card spot.
Blanco, 26, was an ’18 Cuban signee who’d spent all of 2019 at AA-Midland, where the outfielder slashed .276/.342/.468. He didn’t check in among the team’s top 38 prospects at FanGraphs, who did note that the righty possesses “80 grade” speed, which could vault him into a potential fifth outfielder spot in the big leagues.
Aquino, 20, had appeared in 10 games for the A’s Arizona League affiliate, mostly in relief. He didn’t crack the team’s top 30 prospects at either FanGraphs or MLB.com.
Royals Designate Brian Flynn
The Royals announced today that they have designated southpaw Brian Flynn for assignment. His roster spot was needed for a variety of other pitching moves.
Also departing the active roster is righty Jake Newberry, who was optioned. The Kansas City org has activated starter Jakob Junis and recalled southpaw Richard Lovelady.
Flynn, 29, has appeared at the major-league level with the Royals in each of the past four seasons. He was a multi-inning mainstay in the pen last year but has scuffled in 2019. Through 29 1/3 innings over ten relief appearances and one start, Flynn carries a 5.22 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9.
Royals Working On Jake Diekman Trade
12:02pm: The Dodgers stood out as the likely “frontrunners” from the start, tweets Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. However, he adds that the Nationals and Phillies both still have Diekman on their radar.
11:53am: The Royals “could be getting closer” to a trade involving left-handed reliever Jake Diekman, tweets Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Both the Braves and Dodgers have been showing strong interest in the southpaw, he adds.
Diekman, 32, is playing out the season on a one-year, $2.25MM contract, though he’s also owed a $500K buyout on a $5.75MM mutual option that doesn’t seem likely to be exercised (as is the case with virtually all mutual options). That puts the remaining obligation to Diekman around $1.3MM between now and season’s end.
While Diekman’s 4.75 ERA isn’t going to excite most fans, he’s also notched a hefty 13.6 K/9 mark and kept the ball on the ground at a 48-4 percent clip. Left-handed opponents have batted just .213 and slugged .255 against him. As has oft been the case for Diekman throughout his career, though, control has been an issue. He’s averaged five walks per nine innings pitched this season and plunked another eight hitters. As such, Diekman has yielded an overall .213/.362/.255 line to lefties and a .211/.331/.358 line to right-handed hitters.
Diekman is technically controlled beyond the 2019 season, but mutual options are almost never exercised by both parties. Typically, if a player performs well enough to justify that salary, he’s inclined to test the open market. And if a player doesn’t perform up to that standard, the club will of course buy the option out. Perhaps the changing landscape of free agency will make a player such as Diekman — one with limited earning power but who could justify a net $5.25MM decision with a strong finish — more likely to exercise his half of the provision, but there’s limited historic precedent.
Royals Reportedly “Not Inclined” To Pay Down Salary In Trades
As we explored here several months ago, Ian Kennedy has gone from a starter on an albatross contract to a highly intriguing reliever this season, making him a fairly logical trade candidate for the 39-65 Royals. Kansas City is indeed getting interest in not only Kennedy but also left-hander Danny Duffy, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (subscription required). Both players are on sizable contracts, however, and Rosenthal adds that Kansas City is “not inclined” to make a deal if it means paying down either veteran’s deal to a more palatable rate. The Royals “value [Kennedy and Duffy] as place-holders until their younger pitchers develop,” per the report.
With regard to Duffy, that’s a rather logical stance to take. He’s a homegrown player who was extended to much fanfare in Kansas City, and while the $15-16MM he’s being paid on an annual basis outstrips his recent production, it’s not an egregious overpay. Signed through the 2021 season, Duffy has at least been a serviceable arm. He owns a 4.32 ERA in 89 1/3 innings and is averaging 8.0 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 while still carrying the upside of pitching at a higher level.
Trading Duffy, even with an acquiring team taking on all of his money (which is highly unlikely) would be selling low. The lefty was the Royals’ best starter in 2016-17, tossing a combined 326 innings of 3.54 ERA ball with 8.8 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and 1.1 HR/9. It’s possible that with a strong finish to the 2019 season and/or a strong first half in 2020, Duffy’s value could increase. Paying down his contract and seeing his value increase in the future would be a bitter pill to swallow — particularly because the present-day return in a theoretical trade would be relatively modest.
As pertains to Kennedy, though, it’s a somewhat befuddling mindset. He’s four years older than Duffy, only signed through the end of the 2020 season (at annual rates of $16.5MM) and is pitching more effectively than he has at any point in his Royals tenure. Kennedy is currently sporting a 3.40 ERA, but he’s also recorded a 2.16 FIP and a 3.17 SIERA mark. The right-hander is averaging 11.1 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 with a career-high 45.5 percent ground-ball rate. Suddenly, in a relief role, Kennedy is missing bats, limiting walks and home runs, and generating grounders all at career-best rates. His value could well be at its apex, and a once-untradeable pitcher now looks like a player who could be moved and return an intriguing prospect or two if the Royals pay him down to market value (or even lower).
Were Kennedy a free agent this offseason, it’s easy to see him commanding a solid salary on a one-year deal or perhaps even a two-year pact. He’s owed $22.4MM from this writing through the end of the 2020 season, and while that’s more than he’d earn in free agency, it’s not outlandish to think he could earn himself $6-7MM annually on the open market. Paying him down to that rate, or even a bit further, could net some minor leaguers to further the club’s rebuild while also saving enough cash to sign a different “placeholder” (or two) in free agency.
If the Royals are eyeing contention in 2020, hats off to them for making an effort in a weak division at a time when so many other clubs are insistent on lengthy rebuilds that inherently come with diminishing returns. (The more clubs that tank, the less effective the benefits of tanking become.) But even if that’s the case, it’s hard to see how retaining Kennedy at $16.5MM for next season meshes with that plan. If the alternative is adding a quasi-interesting prospect or two and saving some money that could be reinvested in the 2020 roster, the Royals should be willing to sell Kennedy at peak value.
Royals Rumors: Merrifield, Diekman
Royals utilityman Whit Merrifield is unsurprisingly drawing interest from contenders with the trade deadline just a few days away. The Cubs, Braves and Phillies are among the teams eyeing Merrifield, but it appears they’ll have to look elsewhere. The Royals are telling teams they’re not going to deal him, Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports.
Even though the Royals are just 39-64 this season and will have trouble pushing for a playoff spot in the near future, the 30-year-old Merrifield has never looked like an especially realistic trade candidate. Royals general manager Dayton Moore hasn’t made it any secret he has an affinity for Merrifield, who he said in June is “one of the best players in all of baseball right now.” Moore also stated then it would take a “crazy” offer for Kansas City to move Merrifield, whom it signed to a four-year, $16.25MM extension in the offseason.
On a KC team with few major bright spots, Merrifield has continued his run as an eminently valuable performer this year. He has slashed .306/.357/.495 (122 wRC+) with 49 extra-base hits (28 doubles, 12 home runs, nine triples) and 15 steals on 23 attempts in 470 plate appearances. Merrifield has also chipped in 4 Defensive Runs Saved and a 1.3 Ultimate Zone Rating between second base and the outfield. The entire package has been worth 2.9 bWAR/2.7 fWAR. Between Merrifield’s affordability and his on-field excellence, there’s a case the rebuilding Royals should trade him – they’d surely net an exorbitant return – but it doesn’t look as if it’s going to happen.
Meanwhile, reliever Jake Diekman seems almost guaranteed to change uniforms by the end of the month. In addition to the already reported Phillies, Dodgers and Nationals, Diekman has drawn interest from the Cubs, Cardinals and Braves, per Morosi. Diekman, 32, is on a $2.75MM guarantee and has a $5.75MM mutual option for 2020. The hard-throwing left-hander has pitched to a pedestrian 4.75 ERA in 41 2/3 innings this season. But he has logged a far better 3.36 FIP with 13.61 K/9, 4.97 BB/9 and a 48.4 percent groundball rate.
Royals Release Wily Peralta
July 24: Peralta has cleared release waivers and is now a free agent, per a club announcement.
July 22: The Royals announced that they have requested unconditional release waivers on right-hander Wily Peralta. He’d been designated for assignment over the weekend.
Peralta, 30, has pitched to an ugly 5.80 ERA with a similarly unsightly 24-to-19 K/BB ratio in 40 1/3 innings this season. He’s been tagged for seven home runs on the year and seen his fastball velocity drop from an average of 96.2 mph in 2018 to 94.4 mph in 2019.
Peralta did post a 3.67 ERA through 34 1/3 innings in his first season with Kansas City in 2018. However, the former Brewers hurler also averaged an untenable 6.0 walks per nine innings pitched with unfavorable ratings from fielding-independent metrics (4.73 FIP, 4.66 xFIP, 4.67 SIERA). That didn’t deter the Royals from bringing him back for a second season at a guarantee of $3.25MM. He’s still owed just under $847K of this year’s $2.25MM base salary in addition to a $1MM buyout on a 2020 mutual option.
That salary obligation and this year’s poor results make him a sure thing to clear release waivers and become a free agent on Wednesday. At that point, he’ll be free to sign with any club and will only be owed the prorated portion of the league minimum for any time spent in the Majors. The Royals will remain on the hook for the rest of his salary and the option buyout.
Royals Designate Wily Peralta For Assignment
The Royals have designated righty Wily Peralta for assignment, per Jeffrey Flanagan of mlb.com. Right-hander Josh Staumont will be recalled in his place.
Once a promising young starter for the Brewers, Peralta hit the skids in 2015 and couldn’t steady himself even after a 2017 transition to the bullpen. Kansas City’s reclamation attempt also fell flat: in 42 relief appearances for the club this season, Peralta posted a 5.80 ERA/5.85 FIP on back of a mere 5.36 K/9. Command was always an issue for the now 30-year-old, who often flashed electric heat but rarely displayed the bat-missing secondary stuff to match.
The move was somewhat overdue for the Royals, whose players are afforded some of the longest leashes league-wide. The KC ‘pen has again been shaky this season, though the trio at the back-end (Ian Kennedy, Jake Diekman, Scott Barlow) has been far more reliable than last season’s iteration.