Three months ago, Jason Hammel never expected to conclude his offseason here on the bottom floor of Kauffman Stadium. Hammel, 34, was a free agent after posting a 15-10 record and 3.83 ERA for the World Series champion Chicago Cubs. He ranked as one of the top starting pitchers on the market.
The Royals, meanwhile, expected to be bit players in free agency, an organization that was not searching for free-agent starters and constrained by a rising payroll. Club officials liked Hammel, general manager Dayton Moore said, but they did not see a match.
But a confluence of events would transpire over the course of the winter, a combination of tragedy and injury concerns and a market for starters that never quiet materialized.