Kansas City Royals to sign Edinson Volquez

Edinson Volquez and the Kansas City Royals have reportedly agreed to a two-year, $20 million deal according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

Volquez, 31, is coming off a rebound season in 2014 as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. After an abysmal 2013 season in which Volquez posted a combined 5.71 ERA between the Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, the Dominican right-hander pitched to a 13-7 record and 3.04 ERA in 192.2 IP. 2014 ended up being Volquez’s best season in the big leagues outside of his All Star 2008 campaign.

At one time, Volquez was part of a formidable 1-2 punch atop the Cincinnati Reds rotation alongside Johnny Cueto. Injuries, issues with performance enhancing drugs, and general inconsistency all contributed to Volquez’s departure from Cincinnati. The Reds traded Volquez to the San Diego Padres in a five player deal prior to the 2012 season.

Never finding a groove in his year and a half stint with San Diego, Volquez continued to struggle with a move to the Dodgers at the end of 2013. A change in scenery allowed Volquez to follow the path of A.J. Burnett – another pitcher who was able to reestablish himself in Pittsburgh.

Over his career, Volquez is 66-59 with a 4.44 ERA in 1,042.2 IP.

For the Royals, adding Volquez is sure to help bolster their starting rotation following the departure of James Shields. Placing him alongside newly signed Kris Medlen, last year’s rookie phenom Yordano Ventura, and veteran Jeremy Guthrie the Royals will be sending out a very capable starting rotation in 2015.