The Royals have an agreement in place with lefty John Means, the team announced. It’s a two-year minor league contract. Means tore his Achilles tendon in December and is likely to miss the 2026 season. The Wasserman client last pitched in the big leagues with the Orioles in 2024.
Injuries have derailed what began as a promising career for Means. He earned an All-Star selection as a rookie back in 2019. Means was a mainstay in Baltimore’s rotation through 2021. Health issues have capped the lefty at 10 big-league appearances over the past four years. Tommy John surgery cost him most of 2022 and 2023. Means made it through four starts in 2024 before needing another elbow procedure.
Kansas City adds Means with the hope he’ll contribute down the line. Cleveland attempted to do the same thing, but it didn’t pan out. The Guardians grabbed Means on a one-year, $1MM pact last offseason. The lefty was pushing to return to the majors by the end of the year following his second Tommy John procedure. He managed seven minor league starts with the club, failing to make the MLB roster. Cleveland declined its $6MM option on Means in November.
Means entered the league with a low-90s fastball supplemented by a strong changeup and a decent slider. He didn’t miss many bats as a rookie, but kept the ball in the yard and limited hard contact. Means ranked in the 89th percentile for hard-hit rate in his first full season.
The shortened 2020 campaign saw Means’ fastball jump by 2 mph. The improved velocity didn’t produce better results, but the lefty’s mid-4.00s ERA in a small sample could be explained away by a 21.8% home run to fly ball ratio.
The heater lost a tick in 2021, but Means still delivered a 3.62 ERA across 26 starts. He was off to an excellent start through May, but a shoulder strain cost him six weeks. Means closed the year with an ERA up near 5.00 once he returned. He allowed 17 home runs over his final 14 appearances.
The real shame of Means’ persistent injuries to close his time with Baltimore is that he never got to fully experience the adjusted stadium dimensions. The Orioles moved the fences back and introduced “Walltimore” in left field ahead of the 2022 season. The new-look Camden Yards would’ve fit Means’ approach perfectly, as a fly ball pitcher who generally limited hard contact. He was available for just five home starts after the changes were put in place.
Photos courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images
I always liked watching Means pitch, old school crafty lefty, hope he can somehow get back on the mound.
For the orange birds, this is Means to an end
Best pun you could come up with sitting on the crapper?
He’ll find a way to, by any Means necessary.
What’s the Meaning of this?
I hope he has the Means to get back to the Bigs.
BRING OUT YOUR DEAD 🔔
BRING OUT YOUR DEAD 🔔
She turned me into a newt!
Good for KCR hopefully they will develop a system to keep him injury free and he can return in 2027 at 34 yr old
Lol
What exactly caused your laughter?
Exactly it was your comment. I’d like to know how the Kansas City Royals are going to come up with a system to keep him injury free. I don’t think it’s up to the Kansas City Royals to come up with a system to keep him injury free. He’s grown. He has to figure that part out for himself. seems to me most baseball players can get hurt drinking a bottle of water and miss half the season. I just don’t think the Kansas City Royals are gonna come up with anything to help these people out.
I disagree with you but thanks for explaining your lol comment. I believe there are smart trainers and coaches who may be able to help develop a plan or system to help Means stay healthy and pitch effectively in 2027, that’s my hope at least.
I have the perfect system: Switch him from a starting pitcher to a very good left-handed bullpen arm!!! Pitching 1 inning at a time compared to 5-7 can do wonders for an elbow or shoulder. That’s the perfect system!
If his arm can still throw he should become a reliver only if he wants to pitch in the mlb again.
It worked with Hochevar. He went from awful starter to dominant reliver.
He will not be pitching in 2027 because there will not be a season in 2027..
Thats such BS. There will be a season.
There will be 4 seasons.
If there is a 2027 season
Well, it did not work well with Kyle Wright but I still like this signing.
Why?
Wright’s velocity progression:
2022 (healthy breakout): ~95 mph
2023 (pre-surgery): 93.3 mph
2025 (post-surgery in minors): 92 mph
Wright had shoulder surgery in October 2023 and missed all of 2024
I wonder how this ends.
Rooting for him. He really started to figure things out and served as the Orioles ace in some very lean years. Had that no hitter in Seattle and then had injury after injury but he is still fighting to keep his dream alive and you can’t knock a guy for that! Hopefully he will bounce back from the Achilles and get ramped up enough to start a normal spring training next year and find his way into the Royals rotation – he’s definitely more of a higher back of the rotation arm now, but could be more than serviceable if he can bounce back.
Would have been a perfect game! Dropped 3rd strike smh. Lean years indeed
Pedro Severino, right?
Official scorer scored it a WP, in videos of the pitch it is hard to see what’s what because Means’ body blocks the pitch as it hits the dirt between the batter and catcher. Batter swung, catcher did not “drop and block” but don’t think “dropped 3rd strike” is an accurate portrayal of what happened…
Would’ve been happy to take him for a MLB one. Well, Nestor Cortes is still out here.
I would sign Nestor on a deal like this. I think something is still there.
I would give him a MLB deal (Nestor). First year like 2 million next year like 7 million with another club option. Holy gosh I hate autocorrect.
Bringing him home. Love this signing.
I sincerely hope this dude succeeds. Loved having him in an Orioles uniform.
Kyle Wright 2.0
I’ve always been a fan of Means and hope he gets another healthy shot at it one day. Really sucks for guys like Michael Brantley, Grady Sizemore, and Means that could have had monster careers if not for injuries
Means is above average
His career is probably over, but I hope it isn’t.
He was one of the few bright spots during the Orioles’ tanking years after Mike Elias took over.
Wasserman is selling the agency because of the Epstein Files.
What a life. This “means” he’ll have been getting paid 3 straight years while not actually working. What a gig!
He will be rehabbing
Hope he comes back strong
If he doesn’t, he still pitched a no no.in his career, not too shabby.