The Kansas City Royals had so much fun in the postseason last year they decided to go back in 2015. Losing right fielder Nori Aoki and designated hitter Billy Butler to free agency failed to get them down as they quickly replaced them with Alex Rios and Kendrys Morales. These two on the roster drastically upgrades the team in the one department they needed the most help: home run power.
Meanwhile, the starting rotation looks very similar to the one they had in 2014 with one exception. The Royals’ former number one starter, James Shields, is a free agent and unlikely to re-sign.
To fill the absence of Shields, the Royals have already signed two free agent starters to join the rotation. Kris Medlen comes from the Atlanta Braves following Tommy John surgery which caused him to miss the entire 2014 campaign. They also added a more important arm as Edinson Volquez joins Kansas City after one very good season with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Of the two new pitchers, much more will be expected from Volquez. The Royals are paying him $10 million for the next two years to possibly become their number one starter until Yordano Ventura is ready for the role.
While Volquez may not seem anywhere close to the level of player Shields is, one could argue he had a better season in 2014. Last year we saw Shields go 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA. Volquez had a similar season, finishing with a 13-7 record and 3.04 ERA. Although Volquez has glaring weaknesses with his tendency to throw wild pitches and walk far too many men, the basic statistics do not lie. Volquez can win just as many games as Shields and stop runs from crossing the plate.
Of course, when comparing the two, you have to consider their entire careers. Shields is exceptionally better in just about every category. There’s no arguing anything else. However, for the Royals, Volquez is the better man.
The biggest strength in Shields’ game is his ability to pitch a lot of innings. In all but his rookie season when he only started 21 games, Shields has finished the season with 200 or more innings. He also has 33 or 34 starts in each season since 2008. In terms of reliability, Shields may be the best option in all of baseball.
Keeping Shields’ ability to pitch deep into games in mind, this is not something the Royals necessarily need. The Royals already have a great bullpen. Closer Greg Holland is one of the best. Fellow relievers Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera were a big reason why the Royals were able to stay in so many close games and come from behind in others. There’s no guarantee we will see the same level of success from these three ever again, but to completely write it off would be foolish. With such an automatic bullpen, the Royals have less of a need for a pitcher as expensive as Shields when his biggest benefit is one better suited for a team with weak relievers.
The price it would take to bring Shields back, the money the Royals saved on not re-signing Shields can and has already been better utilized elsewhere. Jon Lester’s new contract will pay him between $20 and $27.5 million a year during the course of his contract with the Chicago Cubs. Shields will make less, however, $20 million a year is completely believable.
Volquez’s $10 million plus the $11 million Rios makes in 2015 could very well equal what Shields commands all by himself. The argument comes down to asking whether you want one great player or two pretty good ones.