Royals starter Ian Kennedy has had a miserable season, the second leg of a five-year, $70 million contract he signed in January 2016. He has the ability to opt out after the 2017 season, but it doesn’t sound like he’s going to. The right-hander said, via Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star, “It would be pretty stupid if I did.”
Kennedy, 32, has made 26 starts this season, putting up a 5.37 ERA with a 113/55 K/BB ratio in 135 2/3 innings. As far as his peripherals go, all the good stats are down (e.g. strikeout rate) and all of the bad stats are up (e.g. walk rate, home run rate).
Kennedy said, “I don’t think anybody would want how I’ve been throwing lately. Shoot, I haven’t thought about it. If you’re throwing well, then you start thinking about it. But right now, it doesn’t look too good. You don’t go to the free agent market pitching how I’ve been. No one is going to want that.”
Next season, Kennedy will earn $16 million, then $16.5 million in 2019 and ’20. He will be 35 years old in the final year of his current contract.
