Royals close to signing Hochevar, won't shift Davis back to rotation
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed Wednesday that the Royals are close to signing right-hander Luke Hochevar to a two-year deal reportedly in the $10.5 million range, but that the Royals were not yet ready to make an announcement.
Hochevar, 31, made $5,210,000 last season, though he didn't pitch after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March.
The source said Hochevar would add a "high-impact" arm to an already-potent, shutdown bullpen.
The addition of Hochevar, though, does not mean the Royals will tinker with setup man Wade Davis, a former starter, and move him back into the rotation, where the Royals are trying to fill the hole vacated by free agent James Shields.
Moving Davis back to the rotation was talked about internally, but only in passing.
"Not something we would consider with Wade at this time," the source said.
Davis was a starter in 2013, and was largely ineffective in that role, posting a 5.67 ERA in 24 starts with a 1.75 WHIP. In seven low-leverage relief outings that season, he had a 0.90 ERA.
Davis began spring training in 2014 in competition for a starting role but was diverted to the bullpen when Hochevar's elbow issue surfaced.
Davis proceeded to have one of the best seasons for a reliever in history, posting a 1.00 ERA in 71 games. He was in the middle of the vaunted HDH trio -- Kelvin Herrera, Davis and Greg Holland.
Royals general manager Dayton Moore said in October that he would keep that HDH trio intact.
"We know our margin for error is slim most nights," Moore said then. "We have to be able to count on the back end of our bullpen to be successful."
Hochevar's role in 2015 will be defined once the Royals see his effectiveness against big-league hitters. He has been on a throwing program since September, and the club projects him to be able to compete by Opening Day.
"You just never know until someone is out there trying to get big-league hitters out," the source said.
Like Davis, Hochevar is a converted starter who excelled in short relief. He spent most of 2013 in a middle-relief and long-relief role. But as the Royals were vying for a playoff spot and since-traded Aaron Crow continued to stumble down the stretch in a setup role to Holland, manager Ned Yost began using Hochevar in more high-leverage situations. In his last 15 outings in 2013 he posted a 1.56 ERA and opponents hit just .138 off him.
During that stretch he had six holds, two wins and one blown save. Hochevar did surrender three homers during that stretch but struck out 27 hitters in 17 1/3 innings.
"You can't have enough power arms in the bullpen," the source said.
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