The Kansas City Royals are reportedly willing to part with star closer Wade Davis if the right trade offer comes along during the offseason.
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Royals Listening To Offers For Davis
Friday, Oct. 14
Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball reported Friday teams have started calling Kansas City about Davis, and the front office is listening as it looks to make payroll cuts before the 2017 season.
The Royals hold a $10 million club option on Davis for next year, which includes a $2.5 million buyout clause, according to Spotrac. Heyman noted picking it up is a “formality.”
The 31-year-old reliever is coming off another terrific season at the back end of Kansas City’s bullpen. He racked up 27 saves while blowing just three chances to go along with a 1.87 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 43.1 innings.
To put in perspective how good he’s been over the past three years, his outstanding 1.87 ERA was still nearly the combined totals of his 2014 (1.00) and 2015 (0.94) seasons. It’s a far cry from 2013, when he struggled to a 5.32 ERA while spending most of his time as a starter.
His name also popped up in the rumor mill leading up to the trade deadline with the Royals on the fringe of the playoff race at the time. Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star passed along the closer’s comments about trying to keep his mind off what could happen.
“People talk about it sometimes, even players,” Davis said in July. “And when it comes down to it, we’re here because, one, we love to play baseball. And obviously, we’re here for our teammates, but most of all, (we’re here for) our families.”
The only concern is his health. He landed on the disabled list twice during the regular season with forearm problems, which other teams will surely want to look into before giving up any key assets.
Kansas City may be best served waiting awhile to make a move, though. The free-agent market is littered with top-tier relievers, led by Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon, which could limit what teams are willing to offer for Davis for the time being.
If the Royals wait until those other marquee closers sign new contracts over the winter, they could get better value on the trade market from a team that missed out on the free agents.
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