Royals To Sign Aaron Bummer To Minor League Deal
The Royals and left-hander Aaron Bummer have agreed to a minor league deal, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The lefty reported to Triple-A Omaha today and should be in that club’s bullpen once the paperwork is officially completed, if it hasn’t been already.
Bummer, 32, has a strong track record but his recent trend lines are down. From 2019 to 2025, he posted a 3.70 earned run average across 328 innings. He struck out 26.8% of batters faced in that span, gave out walks at a 9.9% clip and induced grounders on 64% of balls in play.
There were some signs of worry last year, though he managed to finish the season with a respectable 3.81 ERA. His ground ball rate had dropped to 53.9%, still well above average but a career worst for him. His strikeout rate also went to 21.7%, a drop of almost seven points from the year before. That all coincided with a loss of velocity. Bummer averaged 94.7 miles per hour with his four-seamer in 2023 but that dropped to 93.6 mph in 2024 and then 91.7 mph last year.
Those trends have gotten even worse in 2026. Bummer made 19 appearances with Atlanta with a 7.63 ERA. His 46.2% grounder rate was still better than par but another big drop relative to his previous work. His strikeout rate plummeted even further to 16.9%. His four-seamer averaged 90.5 mph.
Atlanta released him in mid-May. Bummer then landed a minor league deal with the Cubs, who initially sent him to their Arizona Complex. He eventually made his way to Triple-A Iowa. He made four appearances there, allowing four earned runs in four innings. His velo ticked up slightly to 91.4 mph in those appearances, though he only punched out 3 of the 19 batters he faced. He opted out of that deal last week.
For the Royals, there’s no real risk in sending Bummer to Omaha to see what happens. He is making $9.5MM this year but Atlanta is on the hook for that after releasing him. If the Royals decide to call him up, they would only have to pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what Atlanta pays.
Kansas City has suffered a number of injuries to its pitching staff. Starters Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic and Stephen Kolek are on the injured list, putting more strain on a bullpen that currently has Carlos Estévez, James McArthur, Nick Mears and Connor Seabold on the IL.
For the season, Royals relievers have a collective 5.42 ERA, which is worse than every MLB club except for the Athletics. The current group might also get thinned out since the Royals are in clear seller position, so they might flip a few arms to other clubs. There’s a path for Bummer to get back to the big leagues if he shows some signs of life with the Storm Chasers.
Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images
Royals Place Stephen Kolek On 15-Day Injured List
Prior to today’s 19-2 loss to the Padres, the Royals activated right-hander Stephen Kolek from the restricted list and placed Kolek on the 15-day injured list due to a right flexor strain. K.C. manager Matt Quatraro told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and other media that Kolek will undergo testing on Monday to determine the extent of the injury, which arose on Saturday when Kolek was pitching in a rehab start at Triple-A Omaha.
The flexor strain comes after a trying month for the Kolek family, as Rogers writes that Kolek’s daughter Faye was born on June 25, seven weeks premature. The most important news of all is that Faye is doing well enough that Kolek was able to officially plan the resumption of his on-field work, as he had made just one start in the last four weeks due to multiple stints on the paternity list, family emergency list, and restricted list.
Rogers noted that MLB gave Kolek special permission to have a rehab start while on the restricted list, in a nod to the circumstances of his family situation. The expectation was that Kolek might’ve just needed the one start in Omaha (scheduled for four innings or 65 pitches) before rejoining the Kansas City rotation, before the injury has now potentially put his season in jeopardy, depending on the severity of the strain.
Kolek has a 4.50 ERA over 10 starts and 54 innings this season, the third of his big league career. A bit of a throwback pitcher, Kolek relies on control and grounders rather than strikeouts, but he has a 14% homer rate and a relatively modest 45.7% grounder rate this year. That said, Kolek’s ERA was inflated by a ghastly start that saw him allow nine runs in 1 2/3 frames against the Cardinals on June 21. While traveling back and forth between the team and his family over the last four weeks, Kolek made one start, and gave up three runs in two innings of work against the Rays on July 2.
The Royals have eight pitchers on their current injured list, as both health issues and a general lack of effectiveness have plagued their pitching staff all year long. Only three teams have given up more runs than Kansas City’s 525 runs allowed, and the result has been a dismal 40-60 record for a Royals club that had winning seasons in both 2024 and 2025.
Orioles Acquire Rudy Martin Jr. From Royals
10:58pm: The clubs officially announced the trade. Bassitt has been moved to the 60-day injured list as the corresponding 40-man roster move. He has been sidelined since June 5 with a back injury that required minor surgery a few weeks ago. Manager Craig Albernaz said this afternoon that the veteran righty is throwing long toss (via Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun). The O’s still expect him back this season, but he has yet to begin a rehab assignment and wasn’t going to be ready before the end of July.
7:36pm: The Royals are trading outfielder Rudy Martin Jr. to the Orioles, reports Ari Alexander of 7 Boston News. Baltimore will select him onto the 40-man roster and option him to Triple-A Norfolk. Trades like this usually involve a nominal cash consideration going back in return.
Martin is a 30-year-old who has never appeared in the majors. He began his professional career more than a decade ago. The Royals drafted Martin in the 25th round out of a Mississippi high school in 2014. He spent time in the Washington farm system and in the Mexican league before returning to the Royals on a minor league deal last year.
That contract included an upward mobility clause, which Martin triggered earlier in the week. That meant the Royals had to offer him to the 29 other teams, any of whom could elect to put him on their 40-man roster. Kansas City could then either put him on their 40-man or send him to Baltimore.
The 5’8″ Martin has spent the majority of the season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He hit well there and has been even better since earning a promotion to Triple-A in late June. Martin has a combined .284/.414/.441 slash line across 255 plate appearances. He has walked at a huge 16.1% clip against a league average 23.5% strikeout rate. Martin has hit eight homers and stolen 33 bases in 40 tries.
That strong production has earned Martin a spot on a 40-man roster for the first time. This doesn’t guarantee that he’ll ever play in the majors but is a significant career milestone in its own right. Baltimore has Taylor Ward, Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser, Leody Taveras, Tyler O’Neill and utilityman Jeremiah Jackson as outfield options on the MLB roster. Heston Kjerstad, Reed Trimble and Johnathan Rodríguez are all on optional assignments to Norfolk.
The O’s have a full 40-man roster and churn through the final few spots more than any other team. Chris Bassitt or Blaze Alexander could be candidates for a move to the 60-day injured list, though they also have a number of recently acquired depth types they could look to sneak through waivers to open a spot.
Trade Deadline Outlook: Kansas City Royals
The Royals have reached the All-Star break at 38-59, tied with the Angels for the worst record in Major League Baseball. The Halos’ league-high playoff drought will climb to a dozen years when their inevitable elimination comes later in the summer. Their ongoing ineptitude isn’t a surprise to anyone, whereas Kansas City looked like a team with a real chance to vie for a playoff berth when the season began.
Although the Royals followed a mediocre 82-win 2025 with a quiet winter, FanGraphs gave them the second-highest preseason odds to win the American League Central and a 44.8% chance to make the playoffs. Now, despite playing in a subpar league that features just five clubs better than .500, the Royals are likely facing insurmountable deficits in the AL Central (13 games back) and the wild card (10 behind).
An MVP-caliber showing from shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and a massive leap forward from second-year slugger Jac Caglianone have not been enough to override disappointing performances from other key hitters or a slew of injuries throughout the roster. Catcher/DH Salvador Perez, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and third baseman Maikel Garcia have all floundered at the plate compared to last year. Garcia has been out for the past few weeks because of a strained left hand, while Pasquantino just returned from a right hamate fracture that cost him almost a month.
On the pitching side, left-hander Cole Ragans underwent season-ending UCL surgery earlier this month. Not only will he miss the rest of this season, but he will be out of commission for some or all of 2027. Fellow southpaw Kris Bubic landed on the IL with his own elbow issues in mid-May. Now battling shoulder soreness, Bubic still hasn’t returned. Those injuries have further taken a toll on a starting staff that lost depth options Ryan Bergert and Ben Kudrna to season-ending surgeries back in April.
The Royals’ bullpen hasn’t gone unscathed either. They currently have four relievers on the IL, including closer Carlos Estévez. The righty racked up a major league-leading 42 saves and posted a 2.45 ERA over 66 innings last year, but his lone appearance so far this season came way back on March 28. After he coughed up six earned runs in one-third of an inning in a loss to the Braves, he went on the shelf with a left foot contusion. While on a rehab assignment in early May, the 33-year-old strained his rotator cuff. He isn’t expected to return until at least August, if at all.
With the injury-laden Royals now buried in the playoff race, they certainly aren’t in position to buy ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. General manager J.J. Picollo could sell off multiple veterans, but as we’ll explore below, it might not be an especially active deadline for his last-place club.
Record: 38-59 (0.2% playoff odds, per FanGraphs)
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Royals Acquire Easton McGee
The Royals announced Tuesday that they’ve acquired right-hander Easton McGee from the Brewers in exchange for cash. McGee, who’d been designated for assignment last week, has been optioned to Triple-A Omaha with his new organization. The Royals opened a 40-man roster spot by transferring righty Nick Mears from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL.
The 28-year-old McGee has pitched in parts of four major league seasons but has only 26 1/3 total innings in that time. He tossed two scoreless frames for Milwaukee this season — his second in the Brewers organization. McGee has also pitched briefly for the Rays and Mariners. He has a 3.08 ERA in the big leagues but just a 16.3% strikeout rate. McGee’s walk rate (6.7%) and ground-ball rate (46.2%) have both been better than average in that small major league sample.
In addition to that limited major league time, McGee has pitched in parts of six Triple-A seasons. His ERA in that time is just shy of 5.00, though that’s skewed a bit by both a tough run as a starter with the Rays’ top affiliate in 2022 and a rocky showing in a handful of “starts” (none more than three innings, all as an opener) in Triple-A this year. McGee posted a sharp 3.59 ERA as a reliever with the Brewers’ Nashville affiliate last year and has allowed seven of his 26 runs this season across four “starts” that account for only 10 of his 41 2/3 innings.
McGee doesn’t throw particularly hard. He sits just over 92 mph on his four-seamer and sinker. His main complements are an 80 mph curveball and a cutter that sits around 87 mph, but he’s also mixed in some occasional changeups that reside in the 85 mph range. This is his final minor league option year. The Royals can shuttle him freely between Kansas City and Omaha for the remainder of the season, but he’ll be out of minor league options heading into the 2027 campaign.
By measure of ERA, the Royals’ bullpen has been the worst in baseball this season. Their collective 5.33 mark trails the Twins (5.19) and A’s (5.18) by a decent margin. Given that ugly mark, it’s not a surprise to see Kansas City relievers sitting on the second-worst strikeout and walk rates in the sport (19.3% and 11.7%, respectively). The K.C. bullpen has allowed an average of 1.44 homers per nine innings — also the second-worst mark in MLB. Left-hander Daniel Lynch IV has been excellent, and righty John Schreiber has pitched well, too. No other Royals reliever with even 20 innings pitched as logged an ERA south of Steven Cruz‘s 4.97.
McGee isn’t going to ride in and save the league’s worst relief corps, but he provides some depth at a time when the Royals have not only Mears but Carlos Estevez, James McArthur, Connor Seabold and Alec Marsh on the injured list. Estevez was signed to be the team’s closer but has been limited this season to just one-third of an inning. It’s the second season of a two-year, $22.2MM contract. Mears was acquired in the offseason to be one of the team’s primary setup men. He’s pitched only 19 1/3 innings due to shoulder troubles. McArthur previously served as the team’s closer but hasn’t pitched since 2024. He underwent surgery to address an elbow fracture in the 2024-25 offseason and, after some setbacks, underwent a second elbow surgery about seven weeks ago.
Mears, 29, came to the Royals alongside Isaac Collins in a different trade with the Brewers: the offseason swap that sent lefty Angel Zerpa to Milwaukee. It hasn’t worked out for either team. Collins has produced league-average offense with poor left field defense. Mears has been out since late May due to a shoulder impingement and will now be sidelined into at least August. Zerpa underwent Tommy John surgery in early May.
The Royals control Mears through next season. He’ll be eligible for a small raise on this year’s $1.9MM salary in his final trip through arbitration this winter. Though he’s pitched to a 5.12 ERA with nearly as many walks as strikeouts in 19 1/3 frames as a Royal, he notched a 3.49 ERA (20.8 K%, 5.9 BB%) in 56 2/3 innings with Milwaukee last season.
Royals Sign Vince Velasquez To Minor League Contract
The Royals have signed Vince Velasquez to a minors contract and assigned the veteran righty to Triple-A Omaha, as per Velasquez’s MLB.com profile page. Velasquez elected free agency on June 30 rather than accept an outright assignment to the Cubs’ Triple-A squad.
The right-hander signed a minor league deal with Chicago in February, and the Cubs twice selected Velasquez’s contract to the active roster and then quickly designated him for assignment and outrighted him after Velasquez cleared waivers. Because Velasquez has been outrighted in the past, he has the ability to reject any outright assignments in favor of free agency, and he took that route after his previous DFA only to soon re-sign with the Cubs on a fresh minor league contract.
This time around, however, Velasquez has opted for a change of scenery in Kansas City’s organization. While the Cubs’ unending string of pitching injuries would’ve seemed to provide an opportunity for Velasquez to return to Chicago at some point this season, it’s possible he saw the Royals (a likely deadline seller) as a better avenue to an open roster spot when and if K.C. moves some players at the trade deadline.
Velasquez’s two cups of coffee on the Cubs’ 26-man roster saw him toss 3 1/3 scoreless innings over two appearances. This marked Velasquez’s first bit of Major League action since 2023, and the righty has now appeared in parts in 10 MLB seasons since making his debut with the Astros back in 2015. Since his previous big league stint with the Pirates in 2023, Velasquez missed 2024 recovering from elbow surgery before pitching in 2025 in both the KBO League and in the Guardians’ farm system.
The 34-year-old Velasquez can provide the Royals with some depth as either a starter or long reliever, though his numbers with Triple-A Iowa this season are nothing to write home about. Velasquez has a 6.15 ERA and 16.2% walk rate over 33 2/3 innings for Iowa, with a more respectable 26% strikeout rate.
AL Central Notes: Jeffers, Keaschall, Vest, Pasquantino
One of the most intriguing players heading into the trade deadline made his long-awaited return to the lineup on Friday. Catcher Ryan Jeffers was back behind the plate for the Twins after missing nearly two months with a fractured hamate bone. The backstop needed just five rehab games to get up to speed.
Jeffers will look to pick up where he left off in the first six weeks of the season. He entered Friday’s action with a 165 wRC+ across 37 games. Jeffers was hitting .295 with seven home runs and 26 RBI through 147 plate appearances before the injury. He’s expected to be one of the most sought-after catchers on the trade market ahead of the August 3 deadline.
The Yankees are known to be interested in Jeffers. The Rays are also looking for catching help. New York had a scout at Friday’s game, per La Velle E. Neal III of the Minnesota Star-Tribune. Tampa Bay also had folks in attendance keeping an eye on Jeffers, notes Darren Wolfson of KSTP.
Here’s more from around the AL Central…
- While teams are pursuing Jeffers, the Twins might not be so willing to sell. Owner Tom Pohlad suggested a more aggressive approach than in previous seasons during an interview with reporters today. “The barometer for success going forward is, ‘Let’s win a championship,'” Pohlad said, relayed by Dan Hayes of The Athletic. “And that’s going to require us to make decisions, whether it’s at a trade deadline or in the offseason, that look probably pretty different than decisions we would have made in the past.” The Twins are only a game out of the final Wild Card spot.
- The Twins are giving Luke Keaschall reps in center field. The former infielder has started in center the past three games, including tonight against the Angels. Keaschall opened the year as Minnesota’s everyday second baseman, but after he posted -6 Defensive Runs Saved, the club moved him to the outfield. Keaschall has recorded -3 DRS in 99 innings on the grass, with most of his opportunities coming in right field. The Twins have a vacancy in center with Byron Buxton sidelined by a hip injury.
- Tigers reliever Will Vest has a stress fracture in his elbow, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters, including Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. The injury will not require surgery, and the club expects Vest to pitch again this year. The 31-year-old righty has been an important member of Detroit’s bullpen for several seasons. He picked up a career-high 23 saves last year. Vest has scuffled to a 6.08 ERA in 27 appearances in 2026.
- Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino rejoined the club on Friday against the Orioles. He wasn’t in the lineup tonight, but is expected to play this weekend. Pasquantino missed less than a month with a fractured hamate bone. “He worked exceptionally hard to get through this,” manager Matt Quatraro told reporters, including Anne Rogers of MLB.com. “He set his goal really early to get back before the All-Star break, and he had to do a lot of hard work to get here.” Pasquantino is in the middle of his worst offensive season as a big leaguer, with an 81 wRC+ in 68 games.
Photo courtesy of Matt Krohn, Imagn Images
Royals Expected To Maintain High Asking Price On Wacha, Lugo
The Royals have been one of the more disappointing teams in MLB. They’re alongside the Angels as the two worst teams in the American League, the only AL clubs completely buried in the playoff picture.
That theoretically positions them as deadline sellers. However, as explored on the MLBTR podcast this week, Kansas City doesn’t have a lot of obvious trade candidates. Most of their impending free agents are either injured or have been ineffective. They’re not likely to kick off another full rebuild with Bobby Witt Jr. in his prime. That mostly leaves them to decide whether to deal a couple veteran starting pitchers whom they have signed beyond this season.
Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report that the Royals are reluctant to move either Michael Wacha or Seth Lugo. They write that while Kansas City will listen to offers, the Royals have told other teams they’re not going to budge on very high asking prices. If that’s indeed the case, neither player is likely to move, as their contracts don’t have immense surplus value.
Wacha is playing on an $18MM salary. He’s signed for $14MM next year (with another $4MM available in performance bonuses) and his deal contains a matching club option or a $1MM buyout for the ’28 season. Lugo was a trade candidate last summer, but the Royals took him off the market by signing him to a two-year extension less than a week before the deadline. He’s making $20MM this year and next; there’s a club/vesting option that starts at $17MM or a $3MM buyout for ’28.
Rosenthal and Sammon report that Lugo’s extension came with a full no-trade clause. They write that Wacha’s deal has partial no-trade protection but not a full NTC. Kansas City controls both pitchers for two and a half years.
Wacha should have the higher trade value of the two. He’s a little bit cheaper and having the slightly better season. Although the Mets knocked him around for six runs this afternoon, he carries a 3.77 ERA over 119 1/3 innings. Wacha has fanned just under 20% of opponents compared to a 7% walk rate.
It’s essentially the same season that Wacha has had five years running. He doesn’t miss a ton of bats but attacks the strike zone with a six-pitch mix. He gets a decent number of weak fly balls and has kept his ERA below 4.00 each year since 2021. That profile plays better at Kansas City’s spacious Kauffmann Stadium than it does on the road, but Wacha would slot into the third or fourth spot in most teams’ rotations. He’s also leading the American League in innings pitched.
Lugo has shown the higher ceiling, finishing as a Cy Young runner-up a couple seasons ago. He hasn’t been as good over the last two years, combining for a 4.32 ERA with a 19.7% strikeout percentage over his last 44 starts. It’s a similar command oriented profile overall. Wacha throws a tick harder and has a slightly higher whiff rate. Lugo has also had more dramatic home/road splits and struggled of late, allowing nearly six earned runs per nine innings over his past 12 starts.
Wacha turned 35 last week. Lugo is a year and a half older and turns 37 in November. The Orioles signed Chris Bassitt for $18.5MM for his age-37 season. Merrill Kelly pulled a two-year, $40MM contract from the Diamondbacks at the same age. Lugo’s contract is in a similar range and he’s having a worse year than Kelly or Bassitt did in 2025. Wacha’s slightly lower deal probably comes in a few million dollars below what he’d make if he were a free agent. That suggests there’s some trade value, but the prospect return wouldn’t be great if another team is taking on the entire contract.
Even in what could be a pitching-starved trade market, the Royals shouldn’t expect a significant package of young talent for either starter. Establishing a high ask is more about a reluctance to trade controllable pitching at all. Their 2027 rotation picture is worrisome even with Lugo and Wacha in the fold.
Cole Ragans will miss most of the first half after undergoing UCL surgery. Kris Bubic is an impending free agent and hasn’t stayed healthy for the past few years. Noah Cameron hasn’t maintained his rookie form and looks like a fourth/fifth starter. The same is true of Stephen Kolek and Luinder Avila, the latter of whom might fit better in relief. Minor league depth arms Ryan Bergert and Ben Kudrna will be coming off season-ending surgeries. Their best pitching prospects (e.g. Kendry Chourio, David Shields, Justin Lamkin) have spent most or all of this season in A-ball.
If Kansas City trades Wacha or Lugo for an unspectacular return, they’d likely need to spend similar money for comparable or worse veteran arms in a weak free agent class. That likely sets up a quiet deadline overall. The Royals have seven impending free agents: Bubic, Carlos Estévez, Jonathan India, Matt Strahm, Lane Thomas, Starling Marte and John Schreiber.
Estévez and India are injured and have zero trade value. Bubic could’ve been a decent trade chip but is shut down again after another shoulder flareup. It’s doubtful he’ll be back before the August 3 deadline, though a contender could still give up a lottery ticket prospect while he’s hurt. Strahm has an ERA above 5.00 and has lost 10 percentage points off his strikeout rate. Thomas and Marte are short side platoon outfielders. Schreiber has a decent ERA (3.53) but has a career-worst 18.2% strikeout percentage across 35 2/3 innings.
MLBTR Podcast: Trade Deadline Questions About The Royals, Reds, Cardinals, Padres And More!
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Royals losing Cole Ragans to UCL surgery while Kris Bubic keeps hitting setbacks (1:30)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- Should the Reds do a big fire sale? What could they get for Nick Lodolo? (9:35)
- Even though the Cardinals are rebuilding, should they trade from their catching depth for controllable pitching? (21:45)
- What can the Marlins do to improve the back of their bullpen? (32:15)
- What can the Mariners do for a right-handed bat? Who is mostly liked to be moved from their rotation? Should they go after Joe Ryan? (38:40)
- Will the Padres make a splash at the deadline or will they sell? (48:40)
Check out our past episodes!
- The Mets In Flux, The Angels Fire Their GM, And Guardians’ Catchers – listen here
- The D-Backs Battle Injuries, Boston’s Trade Chips, And More! – listen here
- The Giants Prepare To Sell, Milwaukee’s Extension Strategy, And The Busy AL Central – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff, Imagn Images
Royals Sign Justin Topa To Minor League Deal
The Royals have signed right-hander Justin Topa to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to Triple-A Omaha. The Blue Jays released him from a minor league deal a couple of days ago.
Topa, 35, has some major league success but is not having a good year. He started this season with the Twins but posted an 8.05 earned run average in 19 innings. His 54.4% ground ball rate was strong but his 13% strikeout rate and 12% walk rate were both well worse than average. He was designated for assignment and released in May, then signed his aforementioned minor league deal with the Jays. He reported to Triple-A Buffalo and put up a solid 3.38 ERA in eight innings, though while only striking out 10.5% of opponents.
A few years ago, Topa was working on a late-bloomer breakout. With the Mariners in 2023, his age-32 season, he tossed 69 innings with a 2.61 ERA, 21.9% strikeout rate, 6.5% walk rate and 56.7% ground ball rate. He was traded to Minnesota ahead of the 2024 campaign, but that season was mostly wiped out by a torn patellar tendon in his left knee, limiting him to just three appearances. He mostly bounced back last year, giving the Twins 60 innings with a 3.90 ERA, 18.3% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 47.7% ground ball rate.
The Twins and Topa avoided arbitration for 2026, agreeing to a $1.225MM guarantee, in the form of a $1MM salary and $225K buyout on a $5MM mutual option. Minnesota is still on the hook for the remainder that money. If another club gives him a roster spot, they would only have to pay him the prorated league minimum, which would be subtracted from what the Twins pay.
For the Royals, there’s no harm in taking a flier on Topa via a non-roster pact. Their pitching staff has been hit by a number of injuries. Starters Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic have both missed a lot of time. Ragans won’t be coming back this year after recently undergoing UCL surgery. The loss of those two starters has put more strain on a bullpen that is without Carlos Estévez, James McArthur, Nick Mears and Connor Seabold.
It’s possible the group will be thinned out further in the coming weeks. The Royals are 37-54, ahead of only the Angels in the American League. They are highly likely to do some selling ahead of the deadline, meaning some pitchers could be sent out for prospects. Topa gives the club some extra depth without taking up a roster spot. If he earns his way up to the big leagues, he’ll be the cheapest addition possible.
Photo courtesy of Matt Krohn, Imagn Images