Why wait a year before signing a free agent starting pitcher? (the 2013 free agent class)

Thanks

But we just don’t know.

You’ve been LEEJUDGED.

should also drive down the price of pitching in a trade, as well…which means that now I have to spend the year worrying Moore will decide to exchange his excess minor league and bullpen ‘currency’ next year, when pitching rates are lower…for someone I probably won’t like.

2006?!

He’ll probably acquire one of the top 3 or 4 starting pitchers on the FA market, and then I think he’ll make a blockbuster trade for a solid #1.

I also don’t think that getting Grienke back if he’s on the market is unreasonable.

at what price would you not to really like him?

I do think we’ll acquire a starter, but it depends on if any of our current pitchers take strides forward.

Here’s what I think might happen (For argument’s sake):

One or two of our pitchers pitch like solid #2’s. those pitchers are Hochevar and Sanchez.

Duffy pitches like a #3, maybe a low end #2.

Paulino eats innings, and pitches like a low-end #3 starter.

Bruce Chen totally flames out.

So, with Bruce Chen flaming out, we trade him at midseason for a couple of High-A SP prospects, and call up Mike Montgomery, who has an absolute monster year at AAA. When he gets called up, he pitches like an absolute stallion, and we have a #1 on our hands.

So, at the end of the season, we have a #1 (Montgomery), a solid #2 (Hochevar, assuming that Sanchez isn’t brought back), and two #3’s (Paulino and Duffy) in the rotation.

With Duffy pitching okay, and still having some value, we decide to trade him, Will Smith (Who has a great year at AAA) Aaron Crow, Brett Eibner and Craig Billo for a low-end #1 starter with a few years of team control remaining.

Matt Cain is on the market, so we decide to sign him to a 3 year, $33 Million contract with a $14 Million vesting option if he gets in the top 4 in the Cy Young voting.

So, we have a rotation of:

Matt Cain
Mike Montgomery
Solid #1 starter
Luke Hochevar
Felipe Paulino

Just a scenario.

i’d focus on him, i doubt the top guys are coming to KC in FA.

Several are obvious, but it would be fun to track those 12 guys throughout the season. Because Jeff and Will don’t have enough to do.

They also need a name. McKinney’s Dirty Dozen?

On average, what percentage of available free agent pitchers are resigned/club option’d during the course of a year?

As in, what did the 2011 class look like in 2010? What did the 2010 class look like in 2009?

I see that extension talks have broken down and why not try to trade for him? He’d be a great addition now, has frontline potential, is fairly young, and wants a long term deal. Am I missing something? I’m not up on Texas’ thoughts toward this guy, but I can’t figure out how they’d not do whatever they could to extend him.

The thing I worry about is that the Royals are NOT waiting for 2013, this is what we’re going to get. Next year when someone mentions all the top free agent pitching, Moore will talk about the Jonathon Sanchez signing, how we still have years of player control on Felipe, and how Luke Hochevar is going to turn it around again. (Remember late 2011?) He will mention that we still have Chen this year as well as the young pitching, and there is really no room to add someone else. He is more worried about who will be the odd man out.

meh