Former Braves pitcher Kris Medlen didn’t have to wait long to find work.
Only 16 days after he became a non-tendered free agent, Medlen signed a two-year, $8.5 million contract with the Royals on Thursday that includes a third-year mutual option.
Medlen, 29, missed the entire 2014 season recovering from his second Tommy John elbow surgery, and is trying to join Chris Capuano as the only major league starting pitchers to ever come back and pitch at a high level for a significant period following multiple TJ procedures.
Royals general manager Dayton Moore jumped at the chance to sign him. Moore was still a Braves assistant GM when Atlanta drafted Medlen in 2006, so he’s familiar with his talent and surely has heard of the amiable right-hander’s value in the clubhouse as well.
Medlen signed a deal that Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported includes a $2 million salary in 2015 with up to $4 million in addtional performance incentives, a $5.5 million salary in 2016 with up to $6 million in additional incentives, and a $10 million mutual option for 2017 with a $1 million buyout.
He had surgery in March and isn’t expected to be ready to pitch at the big-league level before June
The Braves discussed with Medlen a one-year offer that guaranteed him $5.8 million, with a club option for 2016. The salary in 2016 – which would’ve otherwise been his first year of free agency – wasn’t suitable for Medlen. The sides had not talked since.
After failing to reach an agreement with the Braves before the Dec. 2 deadline for teams to tender contracts to their unsigned players, Medlen said he regretted the business side of baseball made things complicated. “Staying in Atlanta would obviously be good for us, with the new addition (to the family) and all,” said Medlen, whose wife Nicole gave birth to their second child in November.
Medlen has a 34-20 record and 2.95 ERA in 152 career games, including 30-13 with a 2.96 ERA in 61 starts. He became one of the National League’s top starters after moving from the bullpen to the rotation full-time in late July 2012, going 24-11 with a 2.36 ERA in 43 starts from then through the 2013 season and winning three NL Pitcher of the Month awards.
