Kansas City Royals: Why Adding Jason Hammel Was a Major Win
After being surprisingly non-tendered by the Chicago Cubs to start the offseason, Jason Hammel waited awhile before landing in a perfect situation with the Kansas City Royals.
Jason Hammel was a key cog during the Chicago Cubs successful two-year run. Then in a flash, he was left on the street looking for work after the reigning champs non-tendered him before the start of free agency, eventually finding a new home with the Kansas City Royals.
At 34 years old, the right-hander is certainly not in the prime of his career, suffering through a hamstring injury throughout his 2016 campaign. However, that doesn’t mean that the veteran hurler holds little value.
Since his breakout season with the Baltimore Orioles in 2012, Hammel has bounced around quite a bit, signing with the Cubbies after the 2013 season, getting traded to Oakland a year later, then returning to Chicago for the past two years. Since 2012, Hammel has finished with a season ERA in the 3.00’s four times. He’s posted a strikeout rate of 7.8 K/9 during those stints as well.
Kansas City Royals
His fastball velocity has maintained in the 92-93 mph range over the last three years, according to FanGraphs. So while he continues to get older in the tooth, Hammel’s stuff has remained consistent, which signals that he could continue to put up similarly solid numbers over the next few years.
Recognizing this, the Kansas City Royals swooped in when his contract demands dropped to just two years of commitment, plus a mutual option for 2019. Hammel will earn a meager $5 million in 2017, with his salary jumping to $9 million in 2018. By comparison, Andrew Cashner, the man who posted an ERA of 5.25 and lacks a consistent track record, is set to rake in $10 million from the Texas Rangers. Granted that’s a one-year deal, but it just goes to show the value that the Royals are getting in Hammel.
The urgency to add a starting pitcher ramped up after the tragic death of Yordano Ventura this past January. Prior to signing Hammel, the Royals were set to open the season with the likes of Danny Duffy, Ian Kennedy and Jason Vargas leading the rotation. Duffy was dazzling last season, perhaps a Cy Young contender at times, earning every penny that’s coming to him with his fresh contract extension.
Kennedy is a solid starting pitcher that is probably making more money than he should be after signing a fairly surprising five-year, $70 million contract last winter. However, this deal is offset with the money that they are saving in this Hammel addition.
Much of the focus has been on the Royals loaded 2018 free agent class, and rightfully so. But, that doesn’t mean the team should punt this upcoming regular season. Adding Hammel keeps the team’s hopes at contention alive at the very least.
Looking at the scope of the American League, it’s going to be tough to overtake the Indians especially after the un-Clevelandlike offseason they’ve had. The American League East may run each other into the ground. The Mariners, Rangers and Astros all have cases for being the dominant ballclub in the West, but all of them have their flaws.
This leaves an opportunity for the Royals to sneak into a playoff spot. But if they would like one more shot at the World Series before the team goes through a major overhaul next offseason, their starting pitching must remain consistent. The bullpen is not as strong as it once was, especially without Wade Davis manning the ninth inning. The good news is that the Royals had poor luck with injuries last season, seeing mainstays Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain both missing a considerable amount of time. The lineup is relatively set with offensive talent at every position. This should be the major strength of the ballclub.
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While the injury woes are not likely to repeat themselves in 2017, the rotation needs to improve if they have any hopes of getting within striking distance of some of the other American League contenders. Losing Ventura left a major hole at the top of the pitching staff. But it’s a hole that in this circumstance, will be nicely filled by Hammel. The veteran right hander has been a consistent performer over the last five years. The injury possibility is a risk, but $5 million price tag makes taking that chance a lot more worth it.
Without this signing, the Kansas City Royals would be left leaning on a pitcher in Duffy, who, while extremely talented, does not have much of a track record for carrying a rotation. Hammel provides a veteran presence who will most likely put up his usual respectable numbers if he stays healthy.
In what was a market devoid of even solid starting pitching options, to be able to get a pitcher of Hammel’s caliber for the price that they did was a serious coup for Royals general manager Dayton Moore.
He won’t be a player that carries a team to the postseason, but at his best, will be a stabilizing force just as he was in Chicago since 2014. He’s been relatively successful against American League pitching before, and he should be a capable innings eater for an organization lacking quality starting pitchers.
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Do you think Hammel will keep the Royals in contention in 2017? Or would the team’s outlook be more or less the same even if they didn’t add him this offseason? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.