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Kansas City Royals Continue Hunt for Elusive Starting Pitching

By David Hill

Apr 5, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; (left to right) Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred, Kansas City Royals owner David Glass, president David Glass, general manager Dayton Moore, and senior vice president business operations Kevin Uhlich stand on field during the World Series ring presentation prior to the game against the New York Mets at Kauffman Stadium. The Mets won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; (left to right) Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred, Kansas City Royals owner David Glass, president David Glass, general manager Dayton Moore, and senior vice president business operations Kevin Uhlich stand on field during the World Series ring presentation prior to the game against the New York Mets at Kauffman Stadium. The Mets won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

The traded arms

That inability to develop their own top of the rotation starters has caused the Kansas City Royals to make several trades over the past few seasons. Pitchers like James Shields and Johnny Cueto were brought in to help bring the Royals to respectability and to win a World Series title, while Wade Davis has turned into one of the best relievers in baseball. As the Royals have made consecutive World Series appearances, one can hardly argue with those moves.

Jake Odorizzi, who was packaged with Wil Myers, Montgomery, and Patrick Leonard, originally came over as part of the Greinke deal. Universally regarded as a Top 100 prospect from 2011 through 2014, He has yet to reach that potential. Odorizzi has settled in as a solid middle of the rotation starter, but at 26 years of age, that may be his ceiling. Montgomery, meanwhile, finally made the Majors with the Seattle Mariners, where he appears to have found himself as a solid option in the bullpen.

Sean Manaea, who the Royals traded to Oakland for Ben Zobrist, has shown flashes of brilliance during his rookie season, but has also struggled. A consensus Top 100 prospect over the past two years, Manaea has a 3-5 record with a 5.24 ERA and a 1.388 WHiP. There are certainly signs that the best is yet to come, as he has displayed solid control while striking out over seven batters per nine innings, making it possible that he will be the pitcher the Royals regret trading away.

Then there are the arms sent to Cincinnati for Johnny Cueto. John Lamb, after years of struggling to regain his form following Tommy John surgery, finally made the Majors, but has been mediocre at best, posting a 2-12 record with a 6.17 ERA and a 1.604 WHiP. Perhaps he could be useful out of the bullpen, but he appears to be minor league depth.

Cody Reed has also struggled, but at 23 years of age, has a chance to turn his career around. His 8.39 ERA and 1.865 WHiP may not impress, but Reed has a live arm and plenty of potential. Meanwhile, Brandon Finnegan appears to be the best piece the Reds received, pitching relatively well now that he is entrenched in the starting rotation. His walk rate is higher than Cincinnati would like, but he also has displayed the competitiveness that shows he could well develop into that starter the Reds are hoping for.

All in all, even the pitchers that the Royals have traded away have not reached their potential. There is still plenty of time for Manaea and Finnegan to get there, but the results for the vast majority of these arms have been disappointing.

Next: The ones that stayed

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