Grading J.J. Picollo and the Kansas City Royals front office at the season’s midway point
By Bill Felber
Free agency
Picollo’s free agency strategy focused on established players who would give the Royals credibility with their fan base, even if those players might be past their prime.
Thus did Zack Greinke return for one more season with his original franchise, this time for $8.5 million. Thus did Aroldis Chapman accept a $3.75 million offer to become the team’s closer … not that the Royals were likely to need a closer very often.
Chapman has saved just two games in 30 appearances, basically ceding what there is of the job to journeyman Scott Barlow. Greinke is 1-8 with a 5.31 ERA in 16 starts. Their combined WAA is a nice +0.5.
Almost without exception, the other free agent additions — Matt Duffy, Ryan Yarbrough, Jordan Lyles, Jackie Bradley Jr. — have been fill-ins. Lyles (-1.9 WAA) has gotten a starter’s role, but it’s been by default; he’s 1-11 with a 6.68 ERA in 16 starts.
Free agent Franmill Reyes was given the starting DH job, but he hit just .186 with only two homers and seven RBI. By mid-May, Picollo had seen enough; Reyes was released onto the open market. He has since been signed by Washington, but has yet to play a major league inning for his new team at the time of this writing.
The cumulative impact of the 10 free agents brought to Kansas City by Picollo is -3.2 WAA.