Royals take risk on Medlen
Medlen has had Tommy John surgery twice
AFTER TWICE having Tommy John surgery, Kris Medlen was looking for a team to give him a chance. The defending AL champions were willing to take the gamble.
Kansas City announced an $8.5 million, 2-year deal with the former Atlanta righthander, who missed all of last season and became a free agent when the Braves failed to offer a contract by the Dec. 2 deadline.
Also, according to multiple reports, the Royals signed righthander Edinson Volquez to a 2-year, $20 million deal.
Medlen, 29, will make $2 million next year and $5.5 million in 2016 and could earn up to $10 million in performance bonuses based on starts and innings. The deal includes a 2017 option with a $1 million buyout."We expect Kris to be more of a second-half guy," Royals GM Dayton Moore said. "Kris is going to want to get out of the gate and go. We have a 2-year commitment with him and the bottom line is yeah, we need him to help us win a World Series, but more importantly, we need to have him have another 10-plus years in the big leagues."
Noteworthy
* The Athletics acquired lefthander Eury De La Rosa from the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash.
* A federal judge has delayed the trial of a cousin of Yankees star Alex Rodriguez on charges stemming from dealings with the clinic that illegally provided performance-enhancing drugs to baseball players. Yuri Sucart's trial was moved from Feb. 9 to April 6. Sucart's lawyer said in a court filing that Sucart has serious health problems and can't fully participate in his defense. Prosecutors say Rodriguez would be a witness.
* The St. Petersburg City Council rejected a deal between the Rays and the city's mayor that would have allowed the team to search for new stadium sites on both sides of Tampa Bay.