Royals Could Pursue Star Reliever To Strengthen Bullpen For 2025
The Kansas City Royals have positioned themselves to clinch a spot in this year's postseason and potentially make a deep run with a strong starting rotation.
However, the one area that leaves a lot to be desired at the moment is their bullpen. James McArthur, Hunter Harvey, Chris Stratton, and Will Smith are all on the injured list. Stratton and Smith are both free agents at the end of the year, which will leave some holes to be filled.
Fortunately, there are plenty of solid relievers available in free agency. One that could help the Royals is San Diego Padres left-hander Tanner Scott. Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report listed Scott as the 18th best free agent available this winter.
"The hard-throwing lefty has 53 saves and 37 holds with a 2.68 ERA and 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings in 209 appearances over the past three years, and he could be the highest-paid reliever of the 2024-25 class," Reuter wrote.
Scott is certain to receive a nice payday in free agency this winter. The Royals already proved their desire to win last offseason when they spent money to sign pitchers Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo, who have bolstered their starting rotation.
It remains to be seen if they will ultimately spend big, as Scott will certainly cost a lot. The moves to sign Wacha and Lugo were not considered the sexiest possible moves at the time, even though they have panned out.
Scott, if signed would give the Royals a solid back-end duo of himself and Lucas Erceg. Either could serve as the closer while the other is used as a setup man. We'll see if the Royals dip their toe in the water for Scott this winter.
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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.