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The Royals' bullpen now has its hard-throwing right-hander.
Kansas City announced on Saturday that it had agreed to terms with Kyle Farnsworth on a two-year, $9.25 million deal that includes a club option for 2011.
Under the terms of the deal, Farnsworth will make $4.25 million next season and $4.5 million in 2010. The club option is worth $5.25 million with a $500,000 buyout. Farnsworth could also earn an additional $750,000 per season in performance bonuses.
Farnsworth and the Royals had reached a preliminary agreement earlier in the week, but the announcement came after Farnsworth passed his physical on Friday.
The signing of Farnsworth, in addition to the inking of right-hander Doug Waechter earlier this week, replenishes a bullpen that was depleted this offseason by the trades of right-handers Ramon Ramirez and Leo Nunez.
"We made pretty significant deals earlier in the offseason by trading Leo Nunez for Mike Jacobs and Ramon Ramirez for Coco Crisp," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said on Saturday. "Getting two everyday players -- we certainly felt that was a huge boost for our lineup, but at the same time, it weakened our bullpen. ... We felt that what we needed in our bullpen to best blend the skills that our relievers have was somebody with power. Kyle Farnsworth is, without a doubt, the power reliever that we feel can strongly impact our bullpen."
Farnsworth, who turns 33 in April, is now expected to join left-hander Ron Mahay as the primary setup men for closer Joakim Soria.
A native of Wichita, Kan., Farnsworth is coming off a season in which he posted a combined 2-3 record with one save and 4.48 ERA in 61 games for the Yankees and the Kitty's. Over his 10-year career with the Cubs, Kitty's, Braves and Yankees, Farnsworth's overall record is 30-48 with 27 saves and a 4.47 ERA.
The right-hander has averaged a strikeout per inning over the course of his career, amassing 738 strikeouts over 735 career. Since the 2003 season, Farnsworth has posted 441 strikeouts, the seventh-most in the Majors among relievers.
"Kyle has been very, very dominant at times in his career, and we feel that he's continuing to get better," Moore said. "We feel that he can get better. Bob McClure, our pitching coach, recognizes some things in his delivery and his approach that, with some necessary adjustments, we feel that he'll continue to improve with his consistency in the strike zone.
"But the thing about Kyle is that he's always taken the ball. He's been somebody who has closed out games. He's pitched consistently on playoff teams and performed in those type of seventh- and eighth-inning environments. He's performed very well in those roles. We're looking forward to having him."
The signing has the Royals' bullpen looking to be nearly complete for next season. Along with Farnsworth and Mahay, the other members of Kansas City's projected seven-man bullpen would appear to be Waechter, left-hander Jimmy Gobble and right-hander Robinson Tejada. That leaves two open spots.
Although left-hander John Bale was among four players non-tendered by the club on Friday, he's likely to be re-signed by the club to fill one of those spots. Bale, who made $2.2 million last season, has been plagued by injuries the past two seasons. He began last year in the rotation but made just three starts before being stopped by shoulder fatigue. While rehabbing, he broke his pitching hand while punching a door in frustration about his progress. But he came back strong in September, not allowing a run over 10 relief appearances.
The Royals also announced two other moves on Saturday. They agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Jairo Cuevas on a Triple-A Minor League contract and avoided arbitration with Esteban German by inking him to a one-year deal.
Kansas City announced on Saturday that it had agreed to terms with Kyle Farnsworth on a two-year, $9.25 million deal that includes a club option for 2011.
Under the terms of the deal, Farnsworth will make $4.25 million next season and $4.5 million in 2010. The club option is worth $5.25 million with a $500,000 buyout. Farnsworth could also earn an additional $750,000 per season in performance bonuses.
Farnsworth and the Royals had reached a preliminary agreement earlier in the week, but the announcement came after Farnsworth passed his physical on Friday.
The signing of Farnsworth, in addition to the inking of right-hander Doug Waechter earlier this week, replenishes a bullpen that was depleted this offseason by the trades of right-handers Ramon Ramirez and Leo Nunez.
"We made pretty significant deals earlier in the offseason by trading Leo Nunez for Mike Jacobs and Ramon Ramirez for Coco Crisp," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said on Saturday. "Getting two everyday players -- we certainly felt that was a huge boost for our lineup, but at the same time, it weakened our bullpen. ... We felt that what we needed in our bullpen to best blend the skills that our relievers have was somebody with power. Kyle Farnsworth is, without a doubt, the power reliever that we feel can strongly impact our bullpen."
Farnsworth, who turns 33 in April, is now expected to join left-hander Ron Mahay as the primary setup men for closer Joakim Soria.
A native of Wichita, Kan., Farnsworth is coming off a season in which he posted a combined 2-3 record with one save and 4.48 ERA in 61 games for the Yankees and the Kitty's. Over his 10-year career with the Cubs, Kitty's, Braves and Yankees, Farnsworth's overall record is 30-48 with 27 saves and a 4.47 ERA.
The right-hander has averaged a strikeout per inning over the course of his career, amassing 738 strikeouts over 735 career. Since the 2003 season, Farnsworth has posted 441 strikeouts, the seventh-most in the Majors among relievers.
"Kyle has been very, very dominant at times in his career, and we feel that he's continuing to get better," Moore said. "We feel that he can get better. Bob McClure, our pitching coach, recognizes some things in his delivery and his approach that, with some necessary adjustments, we feel that he'll continue to improve with his consistency in the strike zone.
"But the thing about Kyle is that he's always taken the ball. He's been somebody who has closed out games. He's pitched consistently on playoff teams and performed in those type of seventh- and eighth-inning environments. He's performed very well in those roles. We're looking forward to having him."
The signing has the Royals' bullpen looking to be nearly complete for next season. Along with Farnsworth and Mahay, the other members of Kansas City's projected seven-man bullpen would appear to be Waechter, left-hander Jimmy Gobble and right-hander Robinson Tejada. That leaves two open spots.
Although left-hander John Bale was among four players non-tendered by the club on Friday, he's likely to be re-signed by the club to fill one of those spots. Bale, who made $2.2 million last season, has been plagued by injuries the past two seasons. He began last year in the rotation but made just three starts before being stopped by shoulder fatigue. While rehabbing, he broke his pitching hand while punching a door in frustration about his progress. But he came back strong in September, not allowing a run over 10 relief appearances.
The Royals also announced two other moves on Saturday. They agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Jairo Cuevas on a Triple-A Minor League contract and avoided arbitration with Esteban German by inking him to a one-year deal.
