Ex-Red Sox Starter Tabbed As 'Intriguing' Fit For Royals After Overseas Success
The Kansas City Royals aren't at the negotiating table for the biggest stars in free agency, but they can still make impactful signings.
As the Major League Baseball calendar begins to tilt towards Spring Training, the Royals don't look to have a complete roster. They have superstar talent in both the lineup and rotation, but they're one of the thinner teams among prospective playoff contenders.
The Royals also diminished one of their strengths from a year ago by trading away starting pitcher Brady Singer. That may leave room for them to sign one more affordable starter, which could mean signing an arm who didn't throw an inning in MLB at all last season.
The success of Erick Fedde last season after returning to the majors from the Korean Baseball Organization may inspire more teams to take chances on ex-big-leaguers who had success overseas. And another successful American KBO pitcher from a season ago could be a potential fit for the Royals.
On Thursday, Jacob Milham of FanSided urged the Royals to look into signing Kyle Hart, the former Boston Red Sox farmhand who recently won the KBO's equivalent of the Cy Young Award.
"Hart represents the type of player Royals fans should be intrigued by—not disappointed if they miss out, but excited about the potential if he’s signed," Milham wrote. "His profile also aligns well with Kansas City’s pitching development mold."
"While Hart won’t anchor any rotation in 2025, he could significantly raise the floor of any pitching staff, including the Royals’. At the very least, Kansas City should explore the possibility of adding the Indiana product to their roster."
Hart, 32, was once a 19th-round pick of the Boston Red Sox, and briefly made it to the majors during the 2020 season, when he allowed 19 earned runs in 11 innings pitched. He didn't have much success in Triple-A over the following three seasons, but everything seemingly clicked in Korea.
Pitching for the KBO's NC Dinos, Hart had a 2.69 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 182 strikeouts in 157 innings pitched during his first and only overseas season. He picked up velocity on his fastball and revamped his slider to generate more swings and misses, which should both help him in a potential return to MLB.
Will the Royals be the team to sign Hart? He certainly should fit within their price range, but Kansas City may also choose to prioritize upgrading other parts of the roster.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org