Royals Could Take Chance On Injured Cardinals Hurler To Bolster Bullpen
The Kansas City Royals will soon get to work in the offseason as they try to get back to October in 2025.
They won 86 games and finished second in the American League Central while capturing the second AL Wild Card spot. After eliminating the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card Series, they went up against the New York Yankees and fell to the eventual AL champions in the ALDS.
The biggest needs for the team are offense and help with the bullpen. They could use another back-end arm to go with closer Lucas Erceg. Perhaps they could target Keynan Middleton.
The 31-year-old veteran right-hander missed all of 2024 with a forearm injury after being signed by the Royals' cross-state rivals the St. Louis Cardinals, but he had a solid year in 2023, posting a 3.38 ERA in 51 appearances between the Chicago White Sox and Yankees.
Middleton could serve as a setup man or even close games for the Royals if signed. He possesses swing-and-miss capability and can be used in high-leverage spots.
For the Royals to be able to sign him, St. Louis would have to decline his $6 million club option, which is possible given that they are rebuilding. But Middleton could significantly boost the Royals' relief corps.
Spotrac values the hard-throwing right-hander at $7.1 million per year and projects that he'll land a one-year contract this winter. That shouldn't be too difficult for the Royals as they try to remain competitive in 2025.
We'll see if Middleton ends up on their radar.
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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.