The courtship ultimately proved mutual, but the season will determine whether it will be fruitful.
Thirty-two-year-old right-handed Homer Bailey approached the process of finding a new team pragmatically and unemotionally. The Royals were similarly deliberate and measured in their pursuit.
A 6-foot-4, 223-pound right-hander, Bailey signed a minor-league contract last week that came with an invitation to big-league spring training. He can opt out of his deal with the Royals by March 25. If things go well, however, the union could bolster the profile of both parties. The risk for each side seems to have been mitigated by circumstance, but that doesn’t mean the Royals and Bailey aren’t invested in each other.