Kansas City Royals: Five Moves for the Offseason
By David Hill
Trade Wade Davis
Relief pitching has been a hallmark of the Kansas City Royals success over the past few seasons. With their bullpen Cerberus in place, the Royals were able to shorten the game to six innings at most, handing the ball to their vaunted trio to shut down the opposition.
A key piece to that approach has been Wade Davis. Arguably the best reliever in baseball over the past three years, Davis has posted a 1.18 ERA and a 0.892 WHiP in 182.2 innings. He has proven to be a stellar setup man, and has become one of the top closers in the game. No one could doubt his value to the Royals.
And yet, if any team was in a position to shop a reliever like Davis, it may be Kansas City. Kelvin Herrera, who would be a lot cheaper on an extension, filled in admirably as the Royals closer when Davis was injured last year. It is certainly possible that, if given his chance, Herrera could be another dominant closer.
Given the returns for Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller at the trade deadline, the Royals would have to consider moving Davis this offseason. A free agent after 2017, having Davis available for an entire season would only increase his price tag. The Royals farm system, which is in need of some top end talent, could get quite the infusion of talent.
The Royals may have the perfect replacement for Davis with Herrera. Joakim Soria likely will not be as bad as he was in 2016 again. Matt Strahm looked like a solid piece for the bullpen, and could be ready to seize the seventh inning role. it is time to get something for a player that may be gone at the end of the season.