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The Kansas City Royals made headlines this offseason with some of their new additions. On the offensive side, the team added outfielder Isaac Collins via trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, and on the pitching side they brought back old friend Matt Strahm to bolster the back end of the bullpen. These were just two of the moves Kansas City made, but they were among the most notable for a team that has not always been active in the winter months.
Unfortunately so far this season, not only have Kansas City’s offseason additions underwhelmed, but the team as a whole has struggled. Getting a fantastic outing from starting pitcher Stephen Kolek on Saturday, who turned in a complete-game shutout, the Royals were able to defeat the Seattle Mariners, but this improved their record to just 21-31, which despite the first-place Cleveland Guardians losing on Saturday, leaves the Royals nine games back of the division lead.
But in this win was a pretty eye-opening development for the Royals. With the complete-game shutout, Kolek showed more of the potential Kansas City saw last season when he made five starts and pitched to a 1.91 ERA. At 29 years old, there is reason for skepticism that Kolek is amid a real breakout, but if he is, the Royals may be even more open to trading left-handed starting pitcher Kris Bubic this season.
Earlier this month, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report compiled a list of the likeliest player from each MLB team to get moved before the trade deadline. For the Royals, Bubic was named. The logic made sense. Bubic will be a free agent this offseason, and may not be re-signing with Kansas City. Rather than letting him walk for nothing, the Royals could get some assets from a team looking to add starting pitching. The emergence of Kolek would make this easier to absorb for Kansas City. Bubic is currently on the injured list, and Kolek has done very well stepping up in his absence.
Kansas City’s record will also likely determine what direction the team goes at the deadline. If the Royals remain well out of first place, the decision to trade Bubic becomes even easier. Should they get hot and close the gap between them and Cleveland, perhaps they would be more open to keeping the left-hander and attempting to retain him in free agency.
For now, it will be important to keep an eye on the rest of Kansas City’s rotation, and particularly Kolek, who is atop baseball after his complete-game shutout.
Continue reading...
Unfortunately so far this season, not only have Kansas City’s offseason additions underwhelmed, but the team as a whole has struggled. Getting a fantastic outing from starting pitcher Stephen Kolek on Saturday, who turned in a complete-game shutout, the Royals were able to defeat the Seattle Mariners, but this improved their record to just 21-31, which despite the first-place Cleveland Guardians losing on Saturday, leaves the Royals nine games back of the division lead.
But in this win was a pretty eye-opening development for the Royals. With the complete-game shutout, Kolek showed more of the potential Kansas City saw last season when he made five starts and pitched to a 1.91 ERA. At 29 years old, there is reason for skepticism that Kolek is amid a real breakout, but if he is, the Royals may be even more open to trading left-handed starting pitcher Kris Bubic this season.
Earlier this month, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report compiled a list of the likeliest player from each MLB team to get moved before the trade deadline. For the Royals, Bubic was named. The logic made sense. Bubic will be a free agent this offseason, and may not be re-signing with Kansas City. Rather than letting him walk for nothing, the Royals could get some assets from a team looking to add starting pitching. The emergence of Kolek would make this easier to absorb for Kansas City. Bubic is currently on the injured list, and Kolek has done very well stepping up in his absence.
Kansas City’s record will also likely determine what direction the team goes at the deadline. If the Royals remain well out of first place, the decision to trade Bubic becomes even easier. Should they get hot and close the gap between them and Cleveland, perhaps they would be more open to keeping the left-hander and attempting to retain him in free agency.
For now, it will be important to keep an eye on the rest of Kansas City’s rotation, and particularly Kolek, who is atop baseball after his complete-game shutout.
Continue reading...
