The Royals have signed right-handed pitcher Dillon Gee to a minor league contract, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Gee was 0-3 with a 5.90 ERA in 39 2/3 innings for the Mets last year, spending much of the year in the minor leagues. The 29-year old right-hander has a 40-37 record in parts of six Major League seasons with a 4.03 career ERA. His best season came in 2013 when he 12-11 with a 3.62 ERA and 1.9 fWAR. Gee was able to opt-out of his deal with the Mets after he was outrighted to AAA Las Vegas again at the end of the year.
Gee is a sinkerballer, with a 46% ground-ball rate. He throws in the upper-80s and has a career strikeout rate of 6.48 per-nine-innings. Gee has at least two more years of club control left before he is eligible for free agency. He has battled injuries throughout his career, missing most of the 2009 season with a torn labrum. In 2012, he was shut down with a blood clot issue and needed an arterial replacement. In 2013, he suffered from right elbow flexor tendonitis. In 2014, it was a right lat strain that hindered him, and last year he went on the disabled list with a groin strain.
The Royals had previously been interested in trading for Gee last winter. Gee will presumably battle for the fifth spot in the rotation or serve as pitching depth in Omaha.
Dillon Gee turned down major league offers from rebuilding teams to be with the Royals. Good match, too, considering their fielding.
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) December 15, 2015