Earlier this week, the Royals outrighted and then granted the release of reliever Sam Long. Yesterday, they came to terms with reliever James McArthur. Earlier today, they came to terms with Jonathan India.
Now we have a clearer picture of where the team stands ahead of Thanksgiving as they have chosen to forgo making offers to outfielder MJ Melendez and right-handed reliever Taylor Clarke.
Melendez was once a top prospect in the Royals’ system, but he got worse every year in the big leagues. Many fans wished the team would non-tender him last offseason, but the team decided to give him one more shot. He was unplayably bad with a -14 wRC+ in 60 at-bats for the Royals and spent most of the year playing in Omaha. His release seemed as sure as anything.
Taylor Clarke comes as something of a shock. He started the year with the team on a minor league deal, but was called up at the beginning of May as injuries and ineffectiveness began to strangle the bullpen. He finished the season with a 3.25 ERA and a respectable 17% K-BB%. He had a few bad outings from mid-June to early July, but the underlying metrics may be what spelled his doom. In September, he averaged nearly two home runs per nine innings, and the walk rate began to skyrocket as well. He had a 3.86 ERA, but a 5.92 FIP during that month. He was projected to make $1.9 million this season.
This means that Kris Bubic, Bailey Falter, Maikel Garcia, Kyle Isbel, Daniel Lynch IV, Michael Massey, Vinnie Pasquantino, John Schreiber, and Angel Zerpa. Many of those were foregone conclusions. Many fans might have wished for Schreiber and Zerpa to be let go, but that never made much sense. The biggest surprises seem to be Lynch, Massey, and Falter.
Lynch finished the season with a 3.06 ERA, but anecdotally seemed to often walk himself into trouble, which other relievers escaped. His FIP, xERA, xFIP, and SIERA are all over 4.50. He is projected to get $1.3 million.
Bailey Falter was a capable starter for the Pirates who had worked with pitching coach Brian Sweeney in the past. He looked awful when he arrived in Kansas City, but clearly, KC still thinks they can get something out of him. Unfortunately, he has no options remaining, so the team will have to find a spot for him on the big league roster. He is projected to make $3.3 million.
Michael Massey seemed like he might be the odd man out after the team chose to retain Jonathan India, but now both underperforming keystone players will return. Massey is projected to receive $2 million in arbitration.
You can view the other projections here.
The Royals’ 40-man roster now stands at 38. The next milestone for the offseason is December 1, when the competitive balance picks are awarded. December 7-10 will see the Winter Meetings in Orlando; big moves often follow shortly after that meeting, including the Royals’ trade for Jonathan India last year.
