The Royals entered the offseason with a stated goal of adding some veteran depth to their young rotation, and the signings of Jordan Lyles and Ryan Yarbrough have addressed that need. However, general manager J.J. Picollo may not be done, recently telling The Kansas City Star’s Lynn Worthy and other reporters that “I think we have to still explore” further reinforcements to the starting five.
“Because we just don’t know how it’s going to end up throughout the offseason, regardless of who the pitcher is,” Picollo said. “So if there’s an opportunity for us to get deeper and get better, we can’t close the door right now.”
Technically, only Lyles is assured of a full-time spot in the 2023 rotation, as K.C. could opt to keep using Yarbrough in a swingman capacity. Yarbrough has started 59 of his 127 career MLB games (all with the Rays), operating as a traditional starter, an opener, a bulk pitcher behind an opener, and in a long relief capacity. New Royals manager Matt Quatraro is a former longtime member of the Rays’ coaching staff, and thus is very familiar with how Yarbrough can be deployed in a way that helps a pitching staff as a whole.
Considering the uncertainty throughout the rest of Kansas City’s rotation, Yarbrough’s versatility gives Quatraro, Picollo, and company some flexibility with their pitching options. Lyles and Brady Singer are the only sure things for starting roles, as highly-touted younger starters Daniel Lynch, Kris Bubic, and Jackson Kowar have all struggled in their relatively brief big league careers. Veteran Brad Keller has also been quite shaky over the last two seasons, and was shifted to the bullpen last summer.
As much as the Royals still want (or need) to see what they have in Lynch, Bubic, and Kowar, bringing in another steady veteran hurler in addition to Lyles and Yarbrough might help the Royals be more competitive in 2023. While this could leave the youngsters competing for just one starting spot heading into Opening Day, it can be assumed that Keller might be something of a short leash for a rotation job. Plus, the Royals could also pivot and move Yarbrough to the pen if multiple pitchers impress during Spring Training.
Picollo also suggested that any starters who don’t win rotation spots could work out of the bullpen. K.C. is also looking for relief pitching this winter, yet this need could be addressed from within if one of younger starters make at least a temporary transition to the pen. This wouldn’t forego an eventual return to rotation work later this season or in 2024, but clearly the Royals are willing to explore all possibilities for upgrading a pitching corps that struggled last year.
Lol They’re gonna start exploring after all the pitching has been signed?
That’s why they have to explore.
Explore? It’s more like dissect…
I hate to see this for KC. I lived there during the George Brett et al. Loved watching them.
The curse of a small market team in today’s big market favored baseball.
Greinke was pretty good last year in his limited innings. Not striking many out anymore but he keeps the ball in the park
26 starts
137 innings
111 era+ (3.68era)
1.34 whip
.9hr9
Michael Wacha is still out there. His old team doesn’t seem to want him back for whatever inexplicable reason…
@Pedro – Would you not just call Greinke? He seems fairly familiar to the place?
There’s an actual major league team in Kansas City?
As a small market team, KC built a team from within the organization. NY buys their team, which is how it is, I’m proud how we got to the World Series in 2014 & how we won it in 2015, so yes, Kansas City has a Major League team.
The Royals go to more World Series’ than the spankees.
oh please
Well, they were bad for about 20 years and finally collected enough high draft picks to have 2 good years… not sure that’s a great model
“NY buys their team”
I get the point, but this hasn’t been the truth in their championships or any of their current teams (from 2017-current). They’ve largely remained out of the FA market and supplemented their team through trading their home grown talent, which is no different than small market operations. They took on the Stanton contract, but that was a trade.
Their last large FA contract “purchase” before Rodon was Cole. I don’t include Judge because he is a homegrown Yankee….
To go through their roster: Donaldson, IKF, Trevino, Trivino, Montas, Rizzo, Higgy, Clay Holmes, Bader, Tallion (gone) and Benny (gone) Hicks – All trade acquisitions generated from homegrown talent.
Only DJ, Cole, Britton (now gone), Chapman (now gone) – “Bought”
Sevy, Judge, Peraza, Volpe, Green, Lasagna, Nestor, German, Torres, Marinaccio – All guys obtained as farm trades, minor league signings, or developed in the Yankees farm system.
Ohhhh, you must’ve meant the Mets….. the other NY team.
That’s the small market model, the way they are forced to operate by the big city markets.
Clip – Not for nothing, but to many people “buying” doesn’t just mean free agents. It also means trading for players with big contracts because other teams can’t afford them, and trading for players who are very expensive to extend.
Take Stanton for instance, do you really think the reigning MVP went to the Yanks because they had the best talent to offer? Jorge Guzman, Jose Devers, and Starlin Castro … none of them even played in MLB last year! Of course not, he went to the Yanks because they were one of the few teams able to take on his contract.
Fact is, the Yanks led MLB in payroll every year from 1996-2013 except 1998. It wasn’t exactly a coincidence the Yanks went from 1982-1995 without making the WS, and didn’t even reach the postseason in any of those years except 1995.
Even recently the Yanks have had the top payroll in the league, from 2014-2016 and 2020-2022.
That means the Yanks have led the league in payroll 23 out of the past 27 years!!
FPG: All true, except besides Stanton they didn’t take on any large salaries. Heck even Stanton’s was reasonably affordable for at least 12 teams.
Leading in payroll doesn’t equate to “buying” in the conventional Yankees reference. People typically use that to refer to FA.
Nevertheless, I’d one refers to the payroll as “buying” a team, then it stands to reason that every single team that doesn’t operate like the A’s buys their members, including the Guardians, Brewers & Rays. I interpreted it as a typical misinformed opinion.
But, you could be right.
I prefer the A’s or Rays model for more consistent success, though I’m not really the “second place is the first loser” mentality. I don’t need my team to win the WS, the throwaway rebuilding years are just too depressing.
Yes, they have been in more world series’s then the Yankees have been the last 10 years or more.
Time to get off the internet and get your homework done.
Wait just a minute the Royals signed that stud Jordan Lyles didn’t they? 😉
Danny Salazar? Not being facetious
Whatever happened to that guy? Injuries?
Yeah, shoulder surgery. Most recently he was with the Yankees on a minor league deal but was released. Currently a free agent.
They’re fooling themselves if they believe adding another starter will make them more competitive. They’re better off giving innings to their young guys to get them more experience and see what they’ve got.
Is Vinnie Pasquantino off limits? There are arms that can be traded for him. Taylor has little appeal to fans, but he can also help teams. The Yankees are looking for a LF, along with Texas.
Royals and Marlins would match up good
Taylor and Pratto for a SP
Yeah the Marlins can send the royals their trash too.
Oh yes trash like Lopez, Cabrera, Rogers, Eder, Eures…ha, ha, You wish your team had that many young talented pitchers. Actually Royals do not have but one appealing candidate for a trade with the Fish and even this one doesn’t have an infield position so he might end up in the outfield. Yes the player is
Witt for Eury.
Flexen for mondesi
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mondera02.shtml
This guy? If that’s the case, the Mariners can get way way more for him, and they are in win-now mode. Maybe Taylor and prospects or Perez and cash for him would work, though. Flexen has 4 more years until free agency. Mondesi is a free agent after this year.
Ok good then. Flex for pasquantino
Flex for Nicky Lopez
Chris Flexen is a free agent after 2023.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/flexech01.shtml
Bref says he has 4 years left. Isn’t he arb eligible like Matt Bush?
I dug into it some. Flexen has a very confusing contract situation. His contract is over with after this season, but he doesn’t have the service time to become a FA. There are some conflicting reports on what control the Mariners have on him.
Whoever sees this, please ask about guys like Flexen and a few others (Lourdes Gurriel), etc. I really want to know how these types of things work. I can’t think of any recent comps since Darvish was given a 6 year deal when signed, and international teens tend to follow regular procedures. I’d want to know what cutoffs are for age, foreign experience, and other things that allow some to become free agents, while others are stuck like Matt Bush.
I mean in the next MLB TR chat.
That won’t happen Mondesi is injured too often even when he is healthy he is good
That won’t happen Mondesi is injured too often even when he is healthy he is good.
Not happening mondesi is injured to often even when he is healthy he is good
I hear O’Hearn is available!
O’Hearn just signed a minor league deal with the Yankees.
Says who?
The same guy that says the Guardians are always 2nd runner up on everyone? (Always the bridesmaid, never the bride)
Seriously though, SBnation ran an article the other day posturing that the Yankees *could* add O’Hearn. Of course that was before they signed Willie Calhoun and Billy McKinney
Call Greinke and see if he wants to come back for another season. Still a few guys the could probably get; Michael Wacha,Wade Miley, Chris Archer Dylan Bundy. Beyond that the Royals will probably look to guys they can sign to minor league deals (Michael Pineda, Chase Anderson, Chad Kuhl)
The Royals shop at the Five and Dime and all these dudes aren’t cheap enough. Sherman is broke and the Royals organization is broken. Lyles signing was a gross overpay. He probably had minor league offers everywhere else.
Although there is some optimism with their search it seems more than likely they will sign players of little significance and will be very unlikely to improve their chances of being even remotely competitive this coming season.
Braxton Garrett for Michael Taylor
Look at service time remaining. That would be lopsided. (1 year for 6)
Marlins need to add Eury to sweeten the pot. And if needed, Jazz after the Marlins extend him to a similar Sandy deal.
Or better yet Sandy for Taylor straight up.
Please be joking. Otherwise, I give up on MLB TR.
Wishful thinking. Not even close.
Not related to this article….but does anybody know what the deal is with Caleb Baragar? It was reported on 12/22 that he signed a minor league deal with the Guardians, but yesterday MiLB transactions showed him assigned to the Charlotte Knights.
Trevor Bauer could be interesting for the league minimum. Might not be a good clubhouse fit though.
Texas hasn’t had such a manly clubhouse presence since they lost Nolan Ryan. They could use a reliever or spot starter.
Bauer would make the Toronto rotation pretty elite with him at the 5 spot
They aren’t going to do anything. He talks like that to keep the fans from getting disgusted then he can say “well we tried.”
There’s a mistake in this article. The quotation marks should be on each side of “pitching”.
Veteran depth? Rich Hill was available. You couldn’t get more veteran than Rich Hill.
slider – I don’t think he meant WWII veteran.
If the Dodgers decide to cut ties, they could trade him for two lottery tickets from a small market team. All he has to do is stfu get out of his own way, and pitch well. Demonstrate some humility and he can get a good FA contract next year. Tall order though.
What’s with the sarcastic “air quotes”? Salty. Courtesy of Mark Polishuk the “writer”
Dumpster – I have to defend Mark here.
Quotes are still often used to quote what people say. Mark quoted what JJ said. If I was JJ, I’d prefer being directly quoted rather than the writer using his own terminology.
Did Mark use the quote to emphasize the word because he thought it was a peculiar term to use? Perhaps. But I don’t view it as him taking a shot at JJ or the Royals. Benefit of the doubt.
Uh, that’s disingenuous. Otherwise you’d be seeing “quotes” all over the place, which never appear in headlines. Nope. Let’s make a caddy snipe at the “hapless” Royals.
Dumpster – Simon just put up an article about Corrrea with quotes in the headline.
And there’s all these that had quotes in the headline:
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/mets-have-raised-concerns-over-carlos-correas-physical.html
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/aaron-judge-appears-headed-to-giants.html
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/07/nationals-trade-rumors-juan-soto-patrick-corbin.html
I could list many more, but it’s not necessary.
I explored dating Mila Kunis once. Then I woke up.
I don’t think the Royals will do any better.
The Giants could trade either Alex Wood or Anthony DeSclafani to KC.
Royals could always do what the O’s did and move their fences back.
Yes, I know it’s already a spacious pitcher’s park.
One disaster at a time.
Just saying ~
Michael Wacha is the cream of the remaining crop, so if you don’t sign him, it’s not even worth discussing. If Wacha is too expensive for you, it’s time for an organizational audit.
The Cubs are overstocked with starting pitchers. Perhaps Kyle Hendricks would be a good fit if healthy. There is a lot more and I recommend KC management talk to the Cubs to see if there’s a fit.
How about a trade for #13
Carter Jensen C.
May I interest in you in Domingo German? Deivi Garcia? If you wanna make a actual trade maybe Clarke Schmidt? I’ll take wet toilet paper for the first two.
Thank you for Hayden Wesneski
RHP, Chicago and Kevin Alcantara, OF. Anytime the Yankees want to trade our lines are open!
Dora the Explorer is available to scout for arms, just FYI Piccolo.
Brady Singer was good down the stretch last season, Keller had some good starts, I’d say Heasely is in line for a spot in the rotation, and they signed Lyles, so they have one spot in the rotation left and that should go to….. Greinke.
Unless the young pitchers take a step forward they will need guys to eat up some innings. I expect the Royals to sign 2 more pitchers with 5.00 ERAs.
signing 5.10 ERA Lyles doesn’t count… it was a joke
If Kansas City was put in triple A International league they definitely would not come in 1st. John Sherman is just a terrible owner