Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Royals Rumors

Royals Notes: Rotation, Cameron, Bowlan, Mitchell

By | at

Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, and the re-signed Michael Wacha and Michael Lorenzen project as the Royals’ top four starters, setting up a competition for the fifth spot between such pitchers as Kris Bubic, Alec Marsh, Kyle Wright, and Daniel Lynch IV.  However, MLB.com’s Anne Rogers writes that left-handed prospect Noah Cameron might also be on the radar as at least a depth arm, since Marsh (shoulder soreness) and Wright (hamstring strain) are both dealing with injuries.

Marsh’s right shoulder first began to bother him during his offseason ramp-up process, leaving the Royals taking a cautious approach to Marsh’s workload in spring camp.  Marsh did throw his first bullpen session of the spring on Friday, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be fully ready to go by Opening Day, given the slowed throwing progression.

In Wright’s case, his hamstring strain is thought to be mild in nature, though he’ll be delayed around a week in recovery.  It makes for a frustrating late development near what seemed to be the end of a much longer rehab process for Wright, who hasn’t pitched since September 2023 due to shoulder surgery.  Those shoulder problems also limited him to 31 innings during the 2023 season, so it has more or less been a two-year odyssey for Wright to return to form as a regular starting pitcher.

Bubic is now probably in the driver’s seat for the fifth starter’s job, yet he is being built back to a starters’ workload himself after a Tommy John surgery cost him most of the last two seasons.  Bubic was able to return to action last July and pitched well in a relief role, with a 2.67 ERA over 30 1/3 innings out of the K.C. bullpen.

All this uncertainty could open the door to a youngster like Cameron.  Rogers writes that the Royals have “reassured Cameron that he’ll be helping out in Kansas City at some point in 2025,” which would mark the 25-year-old’s MLB debut.  The club already showed some faith in Cameron by adding him to the 40-man roster last November, in advance of the Rule 5 Draft.

Cameron was a seventh-round pick for the Royals in the 2021 draft, and he made a great accounting for himself with a 2.32 ERA, 27.8% strikeout rate, and 6.7% walk rate over 54 1/3 innings with Triple-A Omaha last season.  Baseball America ranks Cameron as the eighth-best prospect in the Kansas City farm system, describing him as “a finesse lefthander” with an interesting four-pitch arsenal, highlighted by a 60-grade changeup.  Cameron’s fastball touched the 96mph threshold last season but he generally throws the pitch in the early 90s, still getting good results due to “the deceptive life on the pitch and its good vertical carry.”

The Royals also signed veteran swingman Ross Stripling to a minors deal last week, adding to the list of rotation candidates.  One name not mentioned as part of the competition is Jonathan Bowlan, since Rogers says the Royals see the right-hander as a relief pitcher heading into 2025.  Using Bowlan as a reliever could allow K.C. to take better advantage of his one remaining minor league option year, plus Rogers writes that Bowlan’s stuff “probably ticks up in short stints.”

Bowlan has worked as a starter for most of his minor league career, but he came out of the bullpen in 19 of his 35 appearances in Omaha last season.  The splits were telling, as Bowlan had a 2.77 ERA in 26 relief innings and a 5.58 ERA across 80 2/3 innings as a starter, as well as a much lower walk rate as a reliever.

Since Bowlan’s walk rate had started to tick upward over his last couple of minor league seasons, this improved control is a particularly interesting sign.  Working as a reliever might also help Bowlan get more of a foothold in the big leagues, as his MLB resume consists of three appearances and 5 2/3 innings over the last two seasons, with Bowlan posting a 7.94 ERA in that small sample size.

In other Royals prospect news, one of Kansas City’s top minor leaguers hit a significant setback, as Blake Mitchell will undergo surgery to fix a fractured right hamate bone.  (Manager Matt Quatraro revealed the news to Jaylon Thompson of the Kansas City Star and other reporters.)  Mitchell will need 4-6 weeks of recovery time, meaning Mitchell will miss the rest of spring camp, and will need to participate in extended Spring Training to make up for the lost prep time.  Hamate injuries aren’t usually too serious, yet it will cut into some important development time for the 20-year-old backstop.

Mitchell was the eighth overall pick of the 2023 draft, and was a fixture within the top-100 prospect lists this spring — ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel ranked him highest as the 42nd-best prospect in the sport.  Mitchell is already considered a solid defensive catcher, and he hit .232/.368/.424 with 18 home runs over 486 plate appearances last season, almost all of which came at A-level Columbia.  Pundits are mixed on Mitchell’s future as a hitter, but he has solid power potential and some unusual strength on the basepaths for a catcher.  Despite a lack of speed, Mitchell still stole 26 bags in 33 attempts last year.

Details On Nolan Arenado Trade Talks

By | at

For much of the offseason, a Nolan Arenado trade seemed inevitable. But spring training is now rolling along and he’s still a Cardinal. Today, Katie Woo of The Athletic takes an extensive look at the twists and turns of the winter. Many of the details came out over the past few months but the piece also provides some new tidbits and extra context.

Arenado’s no-trade clause was clearly a key part of the offseason narrative and the club’s efforts to trade him. Reports throughout the winter suggested there was a narrow group of clubs he was willing to join, which Woo confirms in her overview. Arenado told president of baseball operations John Mozeliak that he was willing to waive his no-trade for five clubs: the Yankees, Dodgers, Padres, Red Sox and Astros.

The first three clubs on that list never seemed especially interested. The Yankees were focused on Juan Soto at the start of the offseason. After missing out there, they pivoted to getting Max Fried, Devin Williams, Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger. The Dodgers have Max Muncy at third and didn’t seem keen on a switch. The Padres have Manny Machado at the hot corner. Arenado was reportedly willing to move to a new position but the Friars have budgetary concerns that made a fit tough regardless.

It’s well known by now that the Astros were interested and seemed to have a deal lined up, but Arenado blocked it. Reporting has suggested that Arenado was open to going to Houston but was a bit concerned by the club trading Kyle Tucker and seemingly moving on from Alex Bregman. Woo’s reporting aligns with that framing, with Arenado wanting some time to think about the possibility of becoming an Astro. She writes that he was aware they might move on while he was taking some time to ponder the idea, which is what happened. They quickly signed Christian Walker to cover first base, which effectively locked Isaac Paredes into the third base spot.

That left the Red Sox as the best landing spot for Arenado, with Boston genuinely interested. However, they bolstered their infield by waiting out Bregman and signing him, taking them out of the running for Arenado.

Woo reports that other clubs checked in about Arenado’s availability, including the Royals, Tigers, Mariners and Angels. Those were all sensible on-paper landing spots. The Royals were looking to add a big bat to the lineup and could bump Maikel Garcia to a utility role. The Tigers were involved in the Bregman market, making him a six-figure offer, clearly indicating a willingness to add an established third baseman ahead of prospect Jace Jung. The infield had been a target for the Mariners this winter, who eventually added Donovan Solano and re-signed Jorge Polanco. The Angels were looking to add at third base with Anthony Rendon no longer reliable, eventually signing Yoán Moncada. However, none of those clubs made progress with the Cardinals, as they were informed that Arenado wasn’t interested in waiving his no-trade protection for them.

All of that led to Mozeliak recently declaring that Arenado would stay a Cardinal, suggesting that he would have to change his team preferences in order for a deal to come together. That doesn’t seem likely to come to pass. Arenado has a two-year-old kid and is apparently only open to uprooting his family under very specific circumstances. It’s long been reported that Arenado is primarily motivated by winning but it appears that his off-field circumstances are also playing a notable role in his decision making. “I don’t see myself changing that list ever,” Arenado said. “I have a family now. … To be willing to pick up my family and move them, it has to be something that’s worth it.”

That’s his right as a player with a no-trade clause, though it leaves the Cardinals in an awkward spot. They are doing a reset, trying to turn the franchise away from upgrading the big league roster to a focus more on player development. It’s unclear how long it will take them to make a full-throated attempt at competing again. For now, Arenado is still on the team, which his contract running through 2027. He’ll be 36 years old in the final year of that pact.

It’s possible a trade could come together at the deadline or in another offseason, but it seems it would have to involve a change at one of Arenado’s preferred destinations. Muncy is in the final guaranteed year of his deal, so perhaps a move to the Dodgers for 2026 is possible, though they could keep Muncy around for ’26 via a $10MM club option. Goldschmidt is only on a one-year deal, so the Yankees might have more interest in an infield addition next winter. Bregman could opt out of his Boston deal, though they have a number of infield prospects likely to be coming up this year. Perhaps the Padres would have interest next winter after Luis Arráez, Dylan Cease and Michael King hit free agency, with Robert Suarez having the change to opt-out as well. A significant injury or two could always change the calculus somewhere.

“If something comes up and it makes sense, I’ll certainly get with him and we’ll talk about it,” Mozeliak said over the weekend. “But it’s not something where I’m getting up every morning and chasing the waiver wire or chasing injuries. I think from our fan perspective, from our team perspective, from our perspective, he is a part of the Cardinals.”

It’s an interesting end to an offseason where Mozeliak regarded an Arenado trade as a top priority. The Cards wanted to reduce payroll and open up some playing time for younger players. They could have dropped the payroll in other ways, such as by trading guys like Ryan Helsley or Erick Fedde, but haven’t shown much interest in doing that in the short term. Perhaps the Cardinals will end up being one of the most interesting clubs to watch when the July deadline rolls around, whether Arenado is likely to move or not.

Royals Sign Ross Stripling To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Royals announced that they have signed right-hander Ross Stripling to a minor league deal. The Excel Sports Management has also been invited to participate in major league spring training.

Stripling, 35, is a veteran swingman with plenty of good seasons under his belt. However, he’s coming off two pretty rough campaigns. From 2016 to 2022, he logged 672 innings between the Dodgers and Blue Jays over 104 starts and 100 relief appearances. He allowed 3.78 earned runs per nine over that span. His 22.3% strikeout rate was close to average but his 45% ground ball rate was strong and his 5.7% walk rate very good.

The last season of that stretch was his best. With the Jays in 2022, he made 24 starts and eight relief appearances, throwing 134 1/3 innings with an ERA of 3.01. His 20.7% strikeout rate was still only average-ish but his 3.7% walk rate was tiny. Among pitchers with at least 130 frames that year, only Corey Kluber and Aaron Nola gave out free passes at a lower rate.

That led to a two-year, $25MM deal with the Giants going into 2023, with his results tapering off from there. He posted a 5.36 ERA in 2023 and then got flipped to the Athletics ahead of last season. With Oakland in 2024, he spent time on the injured list with a right elbow strain and a lower back strain, allowing a 6.01 ERA in 85 1/3 innings around that.

Under the hood, things aren’t quite as bleak as that ERA would suggest. His .338 batting average on balls in play and 54.8% strand rate were both on the unlucky side last year. His 3.89 FIP believed him to be far better than his ERA, though SIERA was less optimistic at 5.01. Stripling’s control was still strong last year, walking just 5.8% of opponents, but his 12.9% strikeout rate was quite low and a third straight drop for him. He struck out 21.8% of opponents in 2021 but that figure has dropped to 20.7%, 18.4% and 12.9% in the past three campaigns.

The Kansas City rotation will be fronted by Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha in three spots. Michael Lorenzen will likely have a spot at the back end. Kris Bubic and Kyle Wright are rotation candidates as well, though they are each returning from significant health issues. Bubic missed almost all of 2023 due to Tommy John surgery and worked out of the bullpen last year. Wright missed the entire 2024 season due to shoulder surgery.

There are some other options on the 40-man, including Alec Marsh and Daniel Lynch IV. They are still optionable and could be ticketed for the Triple-A rotation. Stripling will give the Royals a bit of non-roster depth for the staff. If they want a long reliever in the bullpen at some point, perhaps they could turn to Stripling in order to leave guys like Marsh and Lynch getting regular starts in the minors.

Royals Extend GM J.J. Picollo, Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Matt Quatraro

By | at

The Royals have signed general manager J.J. Picollo to an extension that runs through the 2030 season and contains a 2031 club option, per a team announcement. They’ve also exercised their 2026 club option on manager Matt Quatraro, reports Anne Rogers of MLB.com.

Picollo, 54, has been with the Royals for nearly two decades, originally joining the club as an assistant general manager and director of player development. He’d spent the prior seven years in the Braves’ scouting and player development departments.

Kansas City promoted Picollo to general manager in 2021, but he was still the team’s No. 2 baseball operations executive under then-president of baseball operations Dayton Moore. When the Royals moved on from Moore following the 2022 campaign, Picollo was elevated to the top of the department. The Royals have quickly returned to contention in the American League Central under his watch.

The Royals have been more active in free agency under Picollo than they’d been in prior seasons, and while the overall results have been mixed, most of the less-successful moves under Picollo have been small-scale pickups. Signings like Garrett Hampson, Adam Frazier, Chris Stratton and Ryan Yarbrough didn’t pay dividends. The two-year, $13MM investment in Hunter Renfroe is the most regrettable of those smaller-scale additions. He’s still under contract in 2025 and looking for a rebound after a dismal 2024 campaign. However, the club’s largest investments have been successful. Signings of Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo have been roaring successes.

Picollo’s signing of Aroldis Chapman on a one-year, $3.75MM deal proved most impactful of all, as Chapman was flipped to the Royals in the summer of 2023 — a deal that helped propel Texas to the World Series but also netted the Royals current ace Cole Ragans. That move might be the most impactful rental swap for any team in recent memory. Last summer’s acquisition of Lucas Erceg looks like a major win for the organization’s long-term outlook as well.

Under Picollo’s watch, the Royals have also extended shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. on an 11-year, $288.7MM contract — though the structure of that deal makes it quite likely that Witt will either opt out well before its endpoint or re-sign on another extension at some point closer to that opt-out opportunity.

An extension through the 2030 season gives Picollo the runway to even more firmly place his stamp on the organization. Obviously, while he didn’t have final say over many of the moves in the late 2010s and earlier 2020s, his fingerprints are still on many of those decisions. As the remainder of the current decade plays out, he’ll more firmly claim ownership of the state of the Royals’ roster. He’s already out to a good start, coming off an 86-76 showing that sent Kansas City to an ALDS showdown with the Yankees. They came up short in that effort, but that still marked the team’s first postseason appearance since the 2015 campaign in which K.C. won the World Series under Moore and former skipper Ned Yost.

Quatraro, 51, is entering his third season as the Royals’ skipper. The former Rays bench coach signed a three-year deal in Kansas City in the 2022-23 offseason. The 2023 Royals lost 106 games but improved by a staggering 30 wins in 2024, thanks to breakout performances from Ragans and Witt as well as big years from free agent adds like Wacha and Lugo.

The Royals didn’t have to make a decision on Quatraro’s future just yet, but today’s pair of announcements speaks volumes about Sherman’s satisfaction with the top baseball decision-makers he’s put in place. Picollo tells Rogers that he and Quatraro have forged a “great relationship” and that while he’s excited his skipper will be around for at least one additional year, he also anticipates Quatraro’s stay in Kansas City “being longer than that.”

Royals Sign Luke Maile To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Royals announced that catcher Luke Maile was signed to a minor league contract.  Maile will receive an invitation to Kansas City’s big league Spring Training camp.

Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin are locked in as the catching tandem on the Royals’ active roster, so Maile projects as a depth piece for their minor league ranks if he remains in the organization.  Perez, Fermin, and Brian O’Keefe are the only Royals catchers with any MLB playing time on their resume, so Maile’s nine years in the bigs adds quite a bit of experience to the depth chart.

Maile has played for five different teams during his time in the Show, usually acting as a backup or part-time catcher unless an injury to another catcher opened up more playing time.  Maile spent the last two seasons with the Reds, and Cincinnati declined its $3.5MM club option on Maile for 2025 in favor of a $500K buyout.

Long considered a solid defender, Maile’s glovework dipped below average in 2024 in the view of both the Defensive Runs Saved metric (-5) and Statcast’s Catcher Defense metric (-4).  His framing and caught-stealing numbers were also subpar, though Maile continued to do well in blocking balls.  Maile has only rarely shown much production at the plate, and he hit .178/.268/.252 over 154 plate appearances with the Reds.

While Maile has the big edge in experience over the Royals’ other depth catchers, it should be noted that Perez and Fermin handled every inning behind the plate for the 2024 team, leaving no room for any other backstops to receive playing time.  Obviously an injury could arise at any time, but if Maile isn’t comfortably acting as veteran depth at Triple-A, he could opt out of his contract closer to the end of Spring Training if a clearer path to MLB playing time opens up with another organization.

Royals Sign Cole Ragans To Three-Year Deal

By | at

The Royals are in agreement with ace Cole Ragans on a three-year, $13.25MM deal that covers this season and his first two years of arbitration eligibility, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. The signing does not impact Kansas City’s window of team control. Ragans, a Wasserman client, remains controllable through the end of 2028.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports the specific breakdown. Ragans receives a $250K signing bonus and a $1MM salary for the upcoming season. He’ll make $4.5MM and $7.5MM for the following two seasons and would escalate his ’27 salary to $8MM if he wins the Cy Young in either of the next two years.

Ragans has a little over two years of major league service. He did not reach the cutoff necessary to qualify for early arbitration as a Super Two player. He would have played the upcoming season on a salary around the $760K league minimum before reaching arbitration next winter. This gives him a modest bump this year while allowing the Royals to lock in his earnings over what would have been his first two arbitration seasons. Barring another extension, he’ll go through the arbitration process one time during the 2027-28 offseason before hitting the open market.

Acquired from the Rangers in June ’23 for Aroldis Chapman, Ragans has blossomed into one of the sport’s top pitchers. He turned in a 2.64 earned run average over 12 starts after the trade. That came against a run of mostly soft competition, but the 6’4″ southpaw put to rest any questions about whether that was an aberration. He took a full 32 starts and posted a 3.14 ERA across 186 1/3 frames last year. He ranked fifth in MLB with 223 strikeouts and earned a fourth-place finish in AL Cy Young balloting.

It’s an unconventional extension, as there’s little precedent for a player signing for two or three years in advance of their final pre-arbitration season. Ragans’ future salaries fall mostly in line with what quality starting pitchers can expect to earn in their first two trips through arbitration. As comparison points, Tanner Houck ($3.95MM) and George Kirby ($4.3MM) agreed to slightly less than $4.5MM for their first arbitration seasons this winter. Logan Gilbert is ticketed for a $7.625MM salary in his second trip through the process.

Ragans wasn’t at risk of being non-tendered barring a catastrophic injury, but he’ll lock in some security over the next couple seasons. The Royals have more clarity on their future budgets without running the risk of going to a hearing with their ace in either of the upcoming two offseasons. Having recently turned 27, Ragans is on track to hit free agency in advance of his age-31 campaign.

Image courtesy of Imagn

Royals’ James McArthur Recovering From Elbow Surgery

By | at

Royals right-hander James McArthur underwent surgery to repair a fractured olecranon in his right elbow and is behind schedule this spring, per Jaylon Thompson of the Kansas City Star. McArthur, who had two screws installed in his pitching elbow, is just now beginning to throw. It’s not clear exactly when McArthur had the procedure, but he ended the 2024 season on the shelf with an elbow issue. The fact that he’s even cleared for light throwing at this stage indicates the procedure took place a fair bit ago.

The 28-year-old McArthur looked like a breakout candidate late in the 2023 season. Acquired in a minor trade after being designated for assignment in Philadelphia, McArthur erupted as one of the most dominant relievers in the sport in September of 2023. An out-of-nowhere but eye-popping run of 16 1/3 shutout innings with just five hits allowed, no walks and 19 punchouts thrust McArthur into the Royals’ late-inning mix and positioned him as the team’s closer early in 2024. That brilliant finish coincided with some changes to his pitch selection; after being optioned to Triple-A in mid-August, McArthur returned in September throwing far fewer sinkers but far more sliders and curveballs.

McArthur had a rough start in 2024, yielding four runs in his first three innings before finding his groove. He pitched to a 3.35 ERA from that point through the remainder of the first half and carried an overall 3.99 earned run average into the All-Star break. His strikeout rate wasn’t close to the prior year, but McArthur was boasting elite command and a massive 57% grounder rate. He looked very much like a nice diamond-in-the-rough find by the Kansas City front office.

Perhaps that’ll still prove to be the case long term, but McArthur stumbled immediately out of the gate in the second half, serving up nine runs (eight earned) in his first three appearances. The rest of his season proved to be a struggle. McArthur pitched to a 6.87 ERA in his final 18 1/3 innings. His walk rate spiked from 4.4% in the first half to 8% in the second half. After averaging 95 mph on his sinker through the break, McArthur’s velocity began to fade. He only topped a 95 mph average on that sinker in one of his final eight appearances. His grounder rate dipped from 57% to 50%, and he didn’t pitch again after Sept. 16.

The season-ending IL placement and subsequent offseason surgery rather emphatically prove that McArthur was pitching at less than 100% down the stretch. The hope for the Royals, clearly, will be that McArthur’s late downturn was a symptom of his elbow troubles. From the point of that repertoire change in late ’23 through the All-Star break in ’24, McArthur totaled 54 2/3 innings with a 2.80 ERA, 23% strikeout rate, 3.3% walk rate and 54.9% grounder rate. If he can come even close to those levels again, he’ll be a vital part of the Royals’ late-inning attack not only in 2025 but for several years to come. McArthur is under club control through 2029 and won’t be arbitration-eligible until the 2025-26 offseason, when he’ll be a Super Two player.

For now, the Royals’ bullpen will be headlined by free agent signing Carlos Estevez and 2024 deadline acquisitions Lucas Erceg and Hunter Harvey. That’s a formidable high-leverage trio in its own right, and the September-through-July version of McArthur would only further strengthen the group for second-year skipper Matt Quatraro.

Also worth noting, per Thompson, is that righty Alec Marsh is a bit behind schedule after battling some shoulder tightness during his offseason program. He’s seemingly past that issue now, as he’s progressed into a throwing program, but he’s not quite where he would be with a normal offseason. Health permitting, Marsh would be a part of a competition for the fifth rotation spot behind Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Michael Lorenzen. Marsh, Kris Bubic and Kyle Wright are presumably all in that mix. Bubic arguably should’ve been considered the favorite even before this news, but Marsh’s delay in facing hitters (while Wright hasn’t pitched since 2023 due to shoulder surgery) only strengthen Bubic’s case.

Royals Hire Ned Yost As Senior Advisor

By | at

The Royals announced this afternoon that they’ve hired Ned Yost as a senior advisor to general manager JJ Picollo. Yost, the winningest manager in franchise history, returns to the organization six years after retiring as skipper.

“My deep love for the Royals, for Kansas City and for the people there never left,” the 69-year-old said in a press release. “So I just want to help, because I know I can help. I know what it takes to build a world championship club, and I think we’re getting close. I think we’re getting really close.”

Yost managed the Royals between 2010-19. His 10-year tenure is by far the longest of any manager in organizational history. While the team was in a rebuild at the bookends of that run, Yost guided them to consecutive pennants in 2014-15. He joined Dick Howser as the only skippers to lead the Royals to a title when they won the World Series in 2015. Yost finished with a 746-839 record. The Royals inducted him to their team Hall of Fame late in the ’23 season.

“Our fans remember Ned’s leadership helping produce some of the best moments in Royals history,” Picollo said. “He knows what winning a World Series here takes because he’s helped make it happen, and his experience both as a leader and with young players will help us make better decisions and keep pushing toward another championship.“

Tyler Beede Holds Showcase For Interested Teams

By | at

Right-hander Tyler Beede threw for teams held a pro day for interested teams on Friday, per a report from Ari Alexander of KPRC2. Alexander adds that Beede’s fastball was in the range of 93-95mph and that the Astros and Royals both were represented at the righty’s showcase.

Beede, 32 in May, was selected in the first round of the MLB draft twice: first out of High School by the Blue Jays in 2011, then by the Giants out of Vanderbilt. He made his big league debut with San Francisco back in 2018 with a two-game cup of coffee before getting his first significant look with the club in 2019. Things did not go especially well for Beede that year, as he struggled to a 5.08 ERA (82 ERA+) with a nearly identical 5.03 FIP in 117 innings of work split between 22 starts and a pair of bullpen outings.

Tommy John surgery wiped out Beede’s 2020 season and the majority of his 2021 campaign as well, leaving him to record just one inning of work in the majors that year. Once he properly returned to the big leagues in 2022, Beede made just six appearances with the Giants before he was designated for assignment by the club. The right-hander eventually landed in Pittsburgh as a long reliever and swingman, though he struggled to a 5.23 ERA and 4.89 FIP in 51 2/3 innings of work for the club. That performance wasn’t enough to earn him a spot on the 2023 Pirates, but he did receive some overseas interest and wound up signing with the Yomiuri Giants in Nippon Professional Baseball for the 2023 season.

Beede looked solid in Japan with a 3.99 ERA in 49 2/3 innings of work, albeit while striking out just 16.4% of opponents. That solid performance overseas was enough to earn him another shot stateside, and he signed on with the Guardians on a minor league deal in January of last year. Beede was impressive enough to make the club’s Opening Day roster last year, but he struggled out of the gate and posted an ugly 8.36 ERA in 14 innings of work. While his 26.5% strikeout rate in that time was a strong one, lackluster control held him back as he walked 13.2% of his opponents.

It seems unlikely that a club would offer Beede more than a minor league deal given his previous struggles at the big league level, but the former first-round pick’s previous success in Japan and solid strikeout rate with the Guardians last year are both potentially interesting data points for clubs to consider. Given the constant need for pitching depth in the modern game, it would hardly be a surprise if a club took a chance on a player like Beede who’s comfortable pitching both in the rotation and in multi-inning relief as needed. Given that the Astros figure to start the season with four starting pitchers on the injured list, a depth addition like Beede who could help hold down the fort while the club’s other arms get healthy could make some sense in Houston, while Beede would likely join a number of potential starting and long relief options fighting for a roster spot in Kansas City this spring.

J.J. Picollo Discusses Royals Offseason Pursuits, Outfield Mix

By | at

A year ago, the Royals had just put the finishing touches on an extension with budding superstar Bobby Witt Jr. that served as a capstone on the busiest and most aggressive offseason the club had put together in years. That strong offseason effort led to an 86-win season and a trip to the ALDS, where they ultimately fell to the AL champion Yankees in four games. After making the playoffs for the first time since they won the World Series back in 2015, the Royals entered this winter with heightened expectations.

The returns of Michael Wacha and Michael Lorenzen as well as the additions of Jonathan India and Carlos Estevez serve as the foundation of a strong offseason, but comments from owner John Sherman and GM J.J. Picollo relayed by Jaylon Thompson of the Kansas City Star earlier today highlight that the club had bigger hopes for the offseason when it began. Sherman noted that the club made an effort to sign “marquee outfield bats” this winter and are continue to talk with some free agents, while Picollo elaborated further.

“That’s probably the one area in the two years we haven’t been able to reach our goal of getting that (offensive bat),” Picollo said, as relayed by Thompson. “It’s a little disappointing, but we can’t force teams to make trades they don’t want to make. We were active in the free-agent market; we just weren’t able to land the guys.”

Picollo and Sherman are alluding to the club’s failed pursuits of sluggers Jurickson Profar and Anthony Santander, who the club reportedly made two- and three-year offers to respectively before Profar went on to sign in Atlanta for three years while Santander headed to Toronto on a five-year pact. Either of those additions would’ve been a massive upgrade for an outfield mix that’s 79 wRC+ was tied with the White Sox for worst in the American League last year, but an external addition isn’t the only way the club can upgrade its offense in the outfield.

As Picollo notes, the addition of India can improve the offense, and it’s possible some of the club’s infielders can see regular time in the outfield this year as well. Picollo refers to sorting out where the club’s talent will play once the regular season begins as the “biggest challenge” facing the Royals as they head into Spring Training. Both India and Michael Massey are willing to play left field in 2025 and are under consideration for that role, while Maikel Garcia is under consideration for reps in center field as a potential platoon partner for Kyle Isbel. All three of those possible position changes have previously been reported, but Picollo’s comments made clear that a move to the outfield isn’t necessarily guaranteed for any one of those players.

“Jonathan (India) and Michael Massey both said they’re willing to play left field, which is great, but they are both infielders,” Picollo said. “So we need to see them out there in the outfield and see how they move around and figure out what is the best combination for us…it’s going to take time to figure out all the positions, which is different for us because we always valued the defense.”

If defense is the primary concern for the Royals when considering a potential move to the outfield for their infielders, Garcia has a far steeper hill to climb than either India or Massey. Not only is center field higher up on the defensive spectrum than left, but Isbel is one of the league’s most impressive defenders at the position with +10 Outs Above Average. Of course, Isbel’s right-handed complement at the position last year was Dairon Blanco, who turned in -1 OAA at the position and should be much easier for Garcia to surpass. Garcia, for his part, has never appeared in the outfield as a professional but rates well with the glove at third base, with +2 OAA.

It should be much easier for India and/or Massey to prove themselves viable in left. Their primary competition at the position currently appears to be MJ Melendez, who was among the league’s worst defenders in left field last year with a -6 OAA that ranked in just the ninth percentile among qualifying fielders. Neither India nor Massey has significant experience in the outfield, but both rank as average to plus defenders at second base and it’s easy to imagine at least one of them being an upgrade defensively over Melendez in left.

One other note from Picollo’s comments today that Thompson relays is that the Royals “would’ve liked” to add another left-handed pitcher to their roster this offseason. With southpaws Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic both already in the a rotation mix that runs six pitchers deep, it seems likely that any such addition would come in the bullpen. Angel Zerpa, Sam Long, Daniel Lynch IV, Noah Cameron, and Evan Sisk are the club’s left-handed options currently on the 40-man roster, though of that group only Zerpa and the out-of-options Long currently appear to be in line for a spot on the Opening Day roster. It wouldn’t be hard for the club to add a veteran arm to that mix even at this stage of the offseason, with Drew Smyly, Andrew Chafin, Jalen Beeks, and Ryan Yarbrough among the southpaws who remain available on the free agent market.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top