Ned Yost announced today that pitcher Ian Kennedy will begin the year out of the bullpen, according to MLB.com reporter Jeffrey Flanagan. The 34-year old right-hander is in the fourth year of a five-year, $70 million deal that will pay him $16.5 million this year. Over the last two years, Kennedy has been replacement-level with a 5.06 ERA ranking 14th-worst among the 125 starting pitchers to go at least 200 innings over the last two seasons.
The move almost certainly means that Jorge Lopez is a lock to make the rotation, along with Opening Day starter Brad Keller and Jakob Junis.