Royals Could Target Standout Reliever To Bolster Bullpen For 2025
The Kansas City Royals have enjoyed a fantastic season to date and are very likely to find themselves in the postseason mix despite their current four-game losing streak.
The team has been buoyed by an MVP-caliber season from Bobby Witt Jr., as well as several key pitching additions. If there's one thing holding the Royals back, it's their bullpen. Hunter Harvey, Will Smith, Chris Stratton, and James McArthur are on the injured list.
Smith and Stratton are both free agents this offseason, and Kansas City will need to replace them. Perhaps they could look into Philadelphia Phillies closer Jeff Hoffman.
"Hoffman went No. 9 overall in the 2014 draft and was a top prospect for the Blue Jays before he was traded to the Rockies in the Troy Tulowitzki deal," Joel Reuter wrote. "Armed with an elite fastball-slider combination, he has been one of baseball's most effective late-inning relievers."
The 31-year-old right-hander is 3-2 in 64 appearances with a 1.73 ERA with the Phillies. The Royals do have Lucas Erceg as their closer at the moment, but if they sign Hoffman this offseason, the back end of the bullpen could have a truly deadly combination with those two relievers. Either one could serve as the closer while the other serves as a setup man.
The Royals proved their desire to win by spending money this past offseason, and if they want to contend again in 2025, we might see them continue this trend of spending more in free agency. We'll see if Hoffman is 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.