MLB Trade Talk: Running through best fits for Mike Foltynewicz

The Kansas City Royals

COVID-19 did not hit many starting rotations harder than that of the Kansas City Royals. Brad Keller and Jake Junis, two of 2019’s workhorses for the Royals, both started the season out of action with the virus. A pair of prospects in Kris Bubic and Brady Singer have surprised many so far with their success in limited innings with the Royals in the shortened season, but the Royals could use a top-of-the-rotation pitcher.

While Folty’s current iteration is not likely ace-material, he certainly has been in the past, as he’s pitched in the postseason and been named an All-Star within the last two seasons, more than any current Royals pitcher can say.

Like San Francisco, Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium is spacious and saves some of the fly-ball prone pitchers from especially gaudy home run rates. Junis, for example, profiles similarly to Folty, and has found limited success keeping the ball out of the bleacher seats as a Royal. Junis, who is entering his age 28 season, had a 1.59 HR/9 in 2019, but saw that number drop down to 1.29 in just under 100 innings at home last season. If Folty could come to Kauffman and see his home run rate drop, he could find more success in the ERA department.

While Foltynewicz likely would not fit into the longest of long term plans for Dayton Moore and Kansas City, he certainly could help win them some games over the next few seasons at a low-cost. And if he pans out and regains his form, he could be resigned for 2022 and beyond, likely still inexpensively.

Any sort of contending experience could help the current crop of Royals, who only roster Salvador Perez and Alex Gordon as significant cogs in the 2014 and 2015 World Series runs. Folty could provide a sort of veteran leadership that the starting rotation lacks outside of Danny Duffy.