Royals, Ian Kennedy reach five-year, $70M deal

Kennedy and Eieland are reported to have a great working relationship.

The Royals had been seeking a starting pitcher after losing Johnny Cueto to free agency. According to additionals reports, the Royals have also talked to Yovani Gallardo, but at this point they appear to be trending in Kennedy’s direction.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because the deal will not be finalized until the 31-year-old Kennedy passes a physical. The hitter’s ballpark and tremendous Royals’ defense can play to his advantage and perhaps help him rebound after a poor 2015 campaign. Over the course of three major league seasons, Kennedy threw just 59.2 innings for the Yankees, and he was eventually shipped off to the Diamondbacks in the three team trade that sent Curtis Granderson to NY, and Max Scherzer to Detroit, among other players. He has only had one season in which he had an ERA lower than 4.02 over the last six years, and that came in 2014, when he went 13-13 with a 3.63 ERA. Kennedy ranks 14th among active pitchers with 8.31 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Royals have reached an agreement with free-agent right-hander Ian Kennedy, according to multiple reports.

Stay tuned for updates on this development.