Royals will track free agents Edinson Volquez and Luke Hochevar this offseason

On Monday, the Royals passed on giving a qualifying offer to free agent pitcher Edinson Volquez, suggesting they were poised to walk away from the veteran right-hander this offseason.

That could end up being the final result, but general manager Dayton Moore is leaving open the possibility, however remote, of a reunion.

“We’ll see,” Moore said, speaking at the GM meetings here at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa. “The offseason takes a lot of twists and turns. It’s very fluid. I never like to close the book on players that we feel can contribute at the major-league level.”

Volquez, 33, was crucial to the Royals’ World Series championship in 2015, posting a 3.55 ERA in the regular season before starting Games 1 and 5 of the Fall Classic, both victories. His performance, however, imploded in 2016. He finished 10-11 with a 5.37 ERA in 189  1/3 innings.

Still, the Royals will continue to monitor a pitcher who helped them win a championship and was a beloved member of the clubhouse.

“In our market, if any player is major-league caliber, we have to be open to that,” Moore said.

Likewise, the club will track the offseason of reliever Luke Hochevar, who is also a free agent. Hochevar, who has been with the Royals since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2006, had a 3.86 ERA in 37  1/3 innings before undergoing season-ending surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome in early August.

The operation included a scalenectomy, a procedure that removes a portion of the scalene muscle in the front of the neck and a rib near the right shoulder. The Royals’ interest could be predicated on Hochevar’s recovery.

“Hoch’s rehab, in all indications, is going fine,” Moore said. “But it is kind of a tricky procedure. Outcomes are a little unpredictable. So we’ll just have to see.”

This story was originally published November 8, 2016 at 6:42 PM with the headline "Royals will track free agents Edinson Volquez and Luke Hochevar this offseason."