Royals sign Dillon Gee to minor league contract

Former Mets right-handed pitcher Dillon Gee has signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals. Gee, 29, is 40-37 with a 4.03 ERA in six seasons, all with New York. He made just seven starts (eight appearances) in 2015, going 0-3 with a 5.90 ERA.

The Mets drafted Gee out of the University of Texas in the 21st round of the 2007 amateur draft and called him up in 2010.  A "control" pitcher whose fastball barely topped 90 mph, Gee was a mainstay in the middle-to-back of the Mets' rotations in the early 2010s, but was the first man out upon the major league call-ups of Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz. Gee was eventually outrighted and sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas in June. He made his last start for the Mets on June 14, taking a no decision in a 10-8 win over the Braves.

Gee only pitched two full seasons for the Mets, most notably missing the second half 2012 after suffering a blood clot in his throwing shoulder. He rebounded to a career-best ERA (3.62) in 2013. However, with the arrival of young, hard throwers in Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Syndergaard, and Matz, it became clear the soft-tossing Gee would become expendable.