Ex-Royals Pitcher Tabbed As Potential Swingman Addition To Staff
The Kansas City Royals are in need of some help in their bullpen this offseason. They've already re-signed Michael Wacha and traded for Jonathan India and Joey Wiemer to bolster their roster after falling short in the American League Division Series.
Now, the time has come to address the bullpen, and there are plenty of option available for Kansas City as they try to bounce back from their ALDS loss to the New York Yankees and make a deeper postseason run.
Max Rieper of Royals Review listed former Royals left-hander Ryan Yarbrough as a potential swingman option for Kansas City.
"Ryan Yarbrough pitched for the Royals in 2023 before they traded him to the Dodgers. He began the year in LA but was sent to the Blue Jays mid-season, posting a 3.19 ERA but 4.64 FIP in 98 2/3 innings overall this year. He doesn’t strike out many, but has historically had a very low walk rate, although he had a major spike this year to 2.9 per-nine-innings and was pretty BABIP-lucky. The lefty turns 33 in a few weeks," Rieper wrote on Wednesday.
Yarbrough can be used as both a starter and a reliever, although he was used exclusively out of the bullpen in 2024 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays. He started seven games with the Royals in 2023 before he was traded to Los Angeles.
He could add to the Royals rotation depth and potentially be used as a starter in the event of an injury, but could also serve as a multi-inning reliever.
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Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.