CLEVELAND -- Right-hander Edinson Vólquez has two starts left this season, perhaps his last two in a Royals uniform.
Volquez, one of the heroes of last year's World Series championship team, is a potential free agent in 2017. The Royals and Volquez have a mutual option for $10 million (with a $3 million buyout), but keep in mind that the Royals have never exercised a mutual option under the present regime.
But accepting the mutual option could be tempting for Volquez, who has had an off year (5.25 ERA) and would love to stay with the Royals.
"I have no idea right now," Volquez said. "You have to wait until after the World Series and see what happens. I haven't talked to [general manager] Dayton [Moore] or my agent. I don't know. ... I know they haven't done [a mutual option] in Kansas City. I have to ask my agent.
"I would think about it. The answer right now is yeah, I want to stay here with these guys. ... But it's hard. I don't know anything about all the numbers."

One of the main reasons Volquez would love to return is he feels the Royals will have an excellent chance to make another World Series run in 2017.
"That's why I want to [stay]," Volquez said. "They're going to keep the same guys here. The chemistry is good. It would be hard to be away from these guys.
"It would feel like having to start over with a new team and a new city. You have to make new friends. It's hard. But on the other side, if you got to go, you got to go. I have no control."
Moore has indicated he will wait until the offseason to make any decisions on potential free agents. He has a rotation that will include Ian Kennedy, Danny Duffy, Yordano Ventura and Jason Vargas in 2017.
Moore, though, always has maintained the Royals need eight or nine viable candidates for the rotation at the beginning of Spring Training. Volquez, even after an off year, could be an attractive option for the right price.
The Royals also have to decide on Kendrys Morales, who after a slow start now has 29 home runs. The Royals could extend a qualifying offer to Morales (about $16.7 million), which is not a high price for power by today's financial standards.
It wouldn't seem likely that Volquez would get a qualifying offer.
"They have a couple of decisions to make for next year," Volquez said. "I'd like to stay here, but who knows? ... We've got plenty of time to think about it. We'll see what happens."