In the last 24 hours, the Kansas City Royals went to work and attacked the mid-tier of free-agent pitchers.
First, they secured a very solid reliever in Will Smith, who has won three consecutive World Series.
Then, on Tuesday afternoon, it was announced that they reached a three-year, $45 million agreement with starter Seth Lugo, who had a very solid season in San Diego with the Padres (3.57 ERA in 146.1 innings).
Now, according to MLB insider Mark Feinsand, president of baseball operations and general manager J.J. Piccolo secured another solid reliever.
“Chris Stratton’s deal with the Royals, per source: $3.5 million for 2024; $4.5 million player option for 2025,” Feinsand tweeted.
Chris Stratton’s deal with the Royals, per source: $3.5 million for 2024; $4.5 million player option for 2025.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 12, 2023
Stratton also won the Fall Classic this year with the Texas Rangers.
He started the season with the St. Louis Cardinals, and posted a 4.19 ERA in 53.2 frames with them.
Then, he landed in Texas and had a 3.41 ERA in 29 innings.
In total, Stratton’s ERA was 3.92 in 82.2 innings in 2023.
That’s solid performance from a middle reliever.
He now joins a Royals bullpen that also has Nick Anderson, Smith, Carlos Hernandez, James McArthur, John McMillon, and others.
It’s not an elite unit by any means, but it’s definitely improved.
The Royals need many more additions and long-term planning if they want to truly compete, but it’s fair to say they shouldn’t be a 106-loss team anymore next season.
These additions make them more competitive in the short-term, but they still need to prove they can change some processes and optimize some resources in order to put themselves in a position to spot, develop, and produce their own contributors consistently.
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