Dodgers Struggling Two-Time All-Star Identified As Royals Free-Agent Target

Could the slumping ace get back on track in K.C.?

Apr 28, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A hat and glove of an Los Angeles Dodgers player durng a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Starting pitching was a strength for the Kansas City Royals in 2024, but can they count on the same production in 2025?

Between Seth Lugo, Cole Ragans, Michael Wacha, and Brady Singer, the Royals boasted one of the game's five best rotations by almost any metric. But all of those players surpassed expectations this season, and they're also not all guaranteed to come back.

With Wacha set to opt out of his contract and Singer being floated as a potential trade piece, there seems to be room for at least one more arm in the Royals rotation mix. Perhaps that arm could be on display during the World Series, which the Royals can watch with the rest of the baseball world beginning Friday night.

The Royals haven't typically signed marquee free-agent pitchers, but one of the starters in this World Series could be a perfect bounce-back candidate. Jody Jones of FanSided recently named two-time Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Walker Buehler as a Royals offseason target.

"Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo sit atop the Royals' rotation, but beyond that, there are questions. Will Michael Wacha resign, will Brady Singer be traded, and is Alec Marsh ready to take on an entire season as part of the rotation?" Jones said.

"Buehler is a ground ball pitcher with a high strikeout rate and low walk percentage. While his strikeout rate was down to 18.6% and walk percentage up to 8.1%, his career rates are still among baseball's best. It could be a high-risk, high-reward gamble, but the Royals should consider it."

Buehler hasn't looked like the same pitcher this season that he was before needing his second Tommy John surgery in 2022. He compiled a 1-6 record, 5.38 ERA, and 1.55 WHIP this season in 16 starts, spanning 75 1/3 innings of work.

Given his past track record of success and brutal regular season numbers this season, Buehler will likely be looking for a one-year contract to recoup some of his value and cash in next winter. That could work out perfectly for the Royals, who might not usually get a chance at someone of Buehler's talent level due to the price tag.

If the Royals add the version of Buehler that made two All-Star teams, they'll instantly ascend to the top of the heap in the American League Central. And perhaps the World Series could be an early launching point for the next phase of the righty's career.

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