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.
More to come…
I always liked watching Means pitch, old school crafty lefty, hope he can somehow get back on the mound.
talented pitcher
various injuries for 5 years straight
10 starts, 52 innings since 2021
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 🔔
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
Well, it did not work well with Kyle Wright but I still like this signing.
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’ve been happy to take him for a MLB one. Well, Nestor Cortes is still out here.
Bringing him home. Love this signing.