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Royals Release Brian Duensing, Peter Moylan, Clint Barmes

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The Royals have released a trio of veterans who were in camp on minor league deals, per a club announcement. Pitchers Brian Duensing and Peter Moylan were let go along with infielder Clint Barmes.

All three players were Article XX(B) free agents, meaning that Kansas City would have had to offer them an active roster spot or pay a $100K retention bonus tomorrow. Instead, the organization obviously elected to cut ties — though it’s worth noting that some such players end up reaching alternative deals to re-join the same organizations they spent camp with.

Duensing had actually exercised an opt-out clause in his deal earlier today as well. The Royals would have owed the southpaw $2MM on the major league roster. The 33-year-old had established himself as a capable LOOGY after failing to stick in the rotation, but had a rough 2015 (4.25 ERA, 4.4 K/9 vs. 3.9 BB/9).

The 37-year-old Moylan, a side-arming righty from Australia, had a surprising 2015 with the Braves last year. He had joined the organization as a minor league player-coach, but ended up reaching the MLB pen. Moylan is far removed from his excellent run with Atlanta earlier in his career, but still managed to allow only four earned runs in his 10 1/3 innings last year, while striking out eight and avoiding any walks. (Of course, those frames also came in 22 appearances, as Moylan was almost exclusively allowed to face right-handed batters.)

Barmes, meanwhile, has never shown much with the bat in his thirteen MLB seasons, but still holds some appeal as a utility piece due to his highly-regarded glove — though metrics have soured on his defense of late. It always seemed he’d face long odds in Kansas City, and a healthy spring from the club’s other middle infield options left him without a chair.

 

Brian Duensing Opts Out Of Royals Contract

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  • Lefty Brian Duensing told reporters (including Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star) that he will be opting out of his minor league deal with the Royals, giving the team 48 hours to either release him or add him to the 25-man roster.  As per the terms of his contract, Duensing will make $2MM in base salary if he makes the team.  It isn’t yet clear if K.C. will part ways with Duensing or not; while the Royals are deep in relief options, most of them are right-handed.  Danny Duffy is the only southpaw slated for a bullpen job.

Tim Collins To Undergo Second Tommy John Surgery

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Royals left-hander Tim Collins will require a second Tommy John procedure after his previous elbow graft failed, the team announced to the media (including Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star).  Collins underwent his first TJ surgery in March 2015 and subsequently missed the entire season.

Collins was limited to just 21 innings in 2014 due to a strained flexor tendon in his left elbow.  Between that injury and two Tommy John surgeries, it’s fair to wonder if Collins’ pitching career is in serious jeopardy.  Though he won’t be able to pitch until late in the 2017 season (at the earliest), Collins isn’t giving up, telling Dodd and other reporters that he’s ready to once again go through the arduous rehab process.  “I’m still young.  I’m 26,” Collins said.

The southpaw posted a 3.54 ERA, 9.4 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 in 211 relief innings for the Royals from 2011-14.  Despite his control issues, Collins had good splits against both right-handed (career .675 OPS) and left-handed (.702 OPS) batters and held all hitters to a modest .226/.334/.353 slash line.

The Royals avoided arbitration with Collins by agreeing to a one-year, $1.475MM salary for the coming season, and MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan reports that K.C. will have to eat that salary since the club doesn’t insure one-year contracts.  Collins also earned $1.475MM for his lost 2015 season, so you can count on that same figure for Collins’ third and final trip through the arb process next winter if Kansas City decides to hold onto the lefty.  Since Collins could be out until 2018, however, the Royals could look to re-sign him at a lower salary after a non-tender.

Royals Potential AL Central Favorites

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  • Despite a gap between the team’s recent won-lost records and computer projections, the Royals might just be able to pull off another AL Central title, CBS Sports’ Jonah Keri writes in his preview of the division. The team has a young core, and projection systems may struggle with valuations of defense and bullpens, both of which are Royals strengths.

Ross Ohlendorf Opts Out Of Royals Contract, Is Granted Release

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WEDNESDAY: Kansas City has given Ohlendorf his release rather than adding him to the 40-man, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan tweets.

MONDAY: Veteran righty Ross Ohlendorf has opted out of his minor-league deal with the Royals, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets. The Royals now have 48 hours to place Ohlendorf on their roster or release him.

Ohlendorf is one of several players fighting for what would could be one bullpen spot, with Wade Davis, Joakim Soria, Kelvin Herrera, Luke Hochevar, and perhaps Danny Duffy and the recently-rostered Dillon Gee all likely to win jobs. Chien-Ming Wang has thrown hard and gotten good results so far this spring, and could have the inside track on a spot as well. Ohlendorf has pitched eight innings in Spring Training and allowed six runs, although he’s struck out nine and walked only three.

The 33-year-old Ohlendorf fared well in 19 1/3 innings of relief with the Rangers in 2015, posting a 3.72 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 while throwing considerably harder than he had in much of his earlier big-league career, most of which he had spent as a starter. He’s the veteran of eight big-league seasons, also playing for the Yankees, Pirates, Padres and Nationals.

Chien-Ming Wang Has May 1 Opt-Out

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  • Earlier today, we noted that one potential competitor for a spot in the Royals’ bullpen, Ross Ohlendorf, had opted out of his contract, giving the Royals 48 hours to place him on the roster or release him. Another potential competitor for one of the bullpen spots Ohlendorf is trying to win is Chien-Ming Wang, who has looked good in Spring Training. Wang’s opt-out date is May 1, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star tweets. That means that, unlike with Ohlendorf, the Royals have a bit of time to figure out how they want to use him.

Ross Ohlendorf Can Opt Out Of Royals Deal Today

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  • Ross Ohlendorf can opt out of his minor league deal with the Royals today, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star reports.  If the team wants to keep the veteran righty, it will have to put him on the 40-man roster.  Ohlendorf posted good results in 19 1/3 innings of the Rangers bullpen last season, though his path to a similar role in K.C. could be difficult given the number of other good arms in the Royals’ relief corps.

Royals Notes: Free Agency, Wang

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It’s undeniably been a special couple of seasons for the Royals, and many of the team’s core players tell Bob Nightengale of USA Today that they are enjoying the time they have together for at least the next couple of seasons. To a man, they expressed an interest in sticking around long-term, though of course it would be hard to predict how many will ultimately do so. Meanwhile, GM Dayton Moore suggested that the organization is taking much the same approach. “You can’t be so consumed with what players are going to be here for just this period of time,” he said. “There’s urgency every day. We’re not going to focus on next year, two years, or three years from now. I can’t predict the future. We’re just going to go out there and do the best we can.”

  • One Royals newcomer, veteran righty Chien-Ming Wang, is hoping to become the organization’s latest pitching turnaround success, as MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan reports. The sinkerballer has thrown six impressive frames and worked into the mid-90s with his fastball after taking a different approach to his preparation over the winter. Wang, who will soon turn 36, has a May 1 opt-out date but is making a real run to crack the roster in the bullpen.

Royals Add Dillon Gee To 40-Man Roster

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1:03pm: The Royals have added Gee to the 40-man, meaning he’ll stay in Kansas City, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com tweets. Roster space was created by moving Mike Minor to the 60-day DL.

10:08am: Righty Dillon Gee has informed the Royals that he will opt out of his minor league deal with the club if he is not added to the 40-man roster, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports (Twitter links). By operation of that contract clause, Kansas City will have 48 hours (beginning at midnight tonight) to decide whether to add Gee to its 40-man roster or instead allow him to return to the open market.

The Royals would be committing to a reported $2MM salary if Gee is given a roster spot. His deal also calls for incentives, the value of which depend upon whether he is used as a starter or reliever. The veteran reportedly turned down major league offers from other organizations in hopes of joining the defending World Series champs.

Gee, who’ll soon turn 30, is looking for a bounceback season after a rough 2015. He didn’t appear in the majors with the Mets after allowing 26 earned runs over his first 39 2/3 innings, as the club turned to younger options. Gee went on to throw 105 minor league frames, posting a 4.11 ERA.

Of course, he’s done a good bit more in the past and looks to be a nice back-end rotation or swingman option for the right team. All told, Gee has thrown 679 1/3 innings in the majors, working to a 4.03 ERA with 6.5 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9. And he’s shown well early on this spring, allowing one earned run on five hits and two walks (against three strikeouts) in his five innings of action.

Central Notes: Gee, Tigers, Wacha

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Right-hander Dillon Gee has an opt-out clause in his contract that will allow him to become a free agent if he is not added to the 40-man roster tomorrow, as MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan writes. (FOX’s Ken Rosenthal reported the March 15 date back in December.) According to Flanagan, the Royals have been impressed by Gee’s early results as well as his bullpen sessions, making him a good bet to land with the club. Gee, 29, has yielded a run on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts thus far in camp and could be in line for a bullpen role, where he’d also serve as rotation depth, per Flanagan. The 29-year-old’s contract contains a $2MM base salary and contains $700K worth of incentives based on relief appearances and $3.3MM worth of incentives tied to rotation work. Though he struggled through a down season last year in the Majors and at Triple-A, Gee has a track record as a dependable starter, having pitched to a 3.91 ERA in 639 2/3 innings with the Mets from 2010-14. As Flanagan points out, the Royals have an easy 40-man move to accommodate Gee, should they choose, as lefty Mike Minor can be transferred to the 60-day DL. Here’s more from the Central divisions.

  • The transition from Dave Dombrowski to Al Avila in the Tigers’ front office last year was completed in secret, but that hasn’t stopped Dombrowski from remaining friends, Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes. In early August, Avila received a phone call from owner Mike Ilitch, and Avila (after receiving a host of assurances that the Tigers would be able to commit more heavily to analytics, scouting and the international market) agreed to take the Tigers’ GM job during that conversation, three days before Ilitch fired Dombrowski. The situation was “awkward,”as both Dombrowski and Avila describe it — Avila had been Dombrowski’s assistant GM, and the two had worked together for decades in both the Tigers and Marlins organizations. Still, the two remain friendly. “I’€™m really happy for him,” Dombrowski says. “He’€™s always worked hard, very knowledgeable, and has been very loyal. I know it was awkward, but I’™m glad he got this opportunity.”
  • Cardinals starter Michael Wacha makes an interesting extension candidate, writes Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Frederickson quotes Wacha saying that he isn’t aware of any extension discussions. It’s easy to imagine why there might be mutual interest in a deal, though — an extension could potentially keep Wacha in St. Louis longer, and, as Frederickson implies, would begin to increase in cost just as the Lance Lynn and Jaime Garcia deals are set to expire. Of course, long-term deals for pitchers can be risky (Garcia’s long-term deal, for example, hasn’t gone perfectly), and Wacha has been in the league long enough that an extension would likely require a fairly significant commitment. The last starting pitcher with between two and three years of service time to receive an extension was Corey Kluber, who got $38.5MM guaranteed from the Indians following his 2014 Cy Young season.
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