The Royals are next in our 2013 Arbitration Eligibles series. Matt Swartz's salary projections are below.
- First time: Blake Wood ($600K)
- Second time: Chris Getz ($1.2MM)
- Third time: Luke Hochevar ($4.4MM), Felipe Paulino ($2.7MM), Brayan Pena ($1.1MM)
In Wood and Paulino, the Royals have a pair of promising pitchers who endured Tommy John surgery this year. Both are worth retaining (Wood seems likely to garner Super Two status). Despite a myriad of injuries, Getz worked his way into a starting role for the Royals at second base toward the end of his season. I expect the team to keep him in the mix.
Hochevar, drafted first overall in 2006, has a 5.39 ERA through 771 big league innings, including a 5.73 mark this year. If you're digging for a silver lining, the 29-year-old throws relatively hard, takes the ball every fifth day, and has exhibited skills suggesting an ERA closer to 4.20. Given Hochevar's maddening flashes of brilliance, it seems the Royals are up for another go-round at our estimated $4.4MM salary.
The offensive promise once shown by Pena seems long gone. Still, the 30-year-old Cuban wants to retire a Royal, and it won't require much of a raise to keep him around as Salvador Perez's backup for 2013. Assuming everyone is retained in the Royals' group, we're projecting $10MM in salary for five arbitration eligible players.
Matt Swartz's arbitration projections are available exclusively at MLB Trade Rumors. To read more about his projection model, check out this series of posts.
How about they put that 4.4 million towards a pitcher that’s actually good. I think that’s worth a hell of a lot more than sending Hochevar back out there yet again for another disappointing, disastrous season,
Oh c’mon! He’s going to turn the corner someday! Right?!? :o)
Even a replacement level pitcher ala Nathan Adcock or Luis Mendoza would be an improvement over him. Someone should ask Dayton Moore what the definition of insanity is.
Insanity: Trotting Hochevar out every 5th day and expecting him to succeed.
I’m pretty much a Royals homer, but this team will not compete in 2013 with Hochevar taking the ball every fifth day. His penchant for pitching six shutout innings with a five-run inning sandwiched in between doesn’t make him a candidate for long relief either.
He should be non-tendered I think…but then most jaded Royals fans worry about that because they believe he’ll go somewhere else and win a Cy Young. That’s the mentality around here.
If the management MUST keep him he’d better be the #5…but then you’ll have Chen at #4. Blech.
You forgot Tony Abreu who will be a super 2 with more service time than Wood, probably about the same price, too. If he is tendered, that is.
As far as I can tell, Abreu will not be arb eligible because he will have 2.171 in service time but will be short of the 86 days needed in the current year.
Can’t imagine the Royals giving Hochevar a 25%+ raise for being bad at his job. I wouldn’t have a big problem with him as a No. 5, but the Royals already have plenty of other candidates for that slot.
No way I tender Getz, Hochevar or Pena. I would much rather see Abreu or Falu at 2B over Getz and ANYONE other than Pena backing up Sal. It would be different if Getz could play multiple positions, but he can’t.
I, personally, don’t think it would do a whole lot of demage to non-tender them all, freeing up resources to finding quality starting pitching, that is if GMDM has the skills to recognize good pitching.
You can see that Hochevar has the talent but after failing for 700+ innings I think it’s time to move on. The article linked made me even more sure of that one, he seems more than a bit hard headed.
Hochevar is a waste. Hopefully DM wises up, takes Glass on his offer to spend money and go get someone. One crappy pitcher in the rotation is enough(i.e. Chen).