Red Sox $13.5 Million Lockdown Reliever May Spurn Boston For Royals In Free Agency
The Kansas City Royals are once again having a productive offseason, but their work is not yet finished.
Already, before most teams have made a single consequential move, the Royals have made two. They locked up reliable starting pitcher Michael Wacha on a three-year extension, then traded another starter, Brady Singer, for a new leadoff hitter in second baseman Jonathan India.
If the Royals want to establish themselves as World Series contenders in 2025, however, there are still more holes to plug. And the bullpen, which floundered against the New York Yankees in the playoffs, should be near the top of the list.
Beyond closer Lucas Erceg, who is still relatively inexperienced in his role, the Royals have very little high-leverage depth. One Boston Red Sox veteran could be the perfect solution to that conundrum.
Recently, Caleb Moody of Just Baseball named ex-Red Sox setup man Chris Martin as a top target for the Royals to shore up the back end of their bullpen for the coming season.
"Chris Martin was a key fixture in the late inning spots of the Red Sox bullpen last year. And that level of quality has actually been present in him for the past six straight seasons now," Moody said. "Martin has posted sub-3.50 ERAs in five of the last six years, and the season in which he didn’t in 2021, he still remained at a sub-4.00 ERA."
"The 38-year-old has been putting up these performances for the greater part of his career, meaning the Royals would be wise to take a run at adding a crafty veteran like him."
Martin was nails for the Red Sox throughout his two-year contract, which only cost Boston $13.5 million in total. He had an MLB-best 1.05 ERA among pitchers who threw at least 50 innings in 2023, then backed it up with a 3.45 ERA in a slightly injury-shortened 2024 campaign.
If the Royals can land Martin on a one-year deal, they'll have a much better outlook at the end of games in a season where they hope to compete for a championship. That's a worthwhile expenditure for any team, especially a small-market one hoping to build a dynasty.
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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