Royals Could Target Veteran Dodgers Reliever To Strengthen Bullpen
The Kansas City Royals season ended at the hands of the eventual American League champion New York Yankees in the ALDS. The team had secured the second Wild Card after winning 86 games during the regular season.
The team also eliminated the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card round to win their first playoff series since the 2015 World Series. Now, they'll focus on making upgrades for 2025.
One area the Royals could use some help in is the bullpen. There are going to be plenty of high-leverage relievers available in free agency.
Perhaps Kansas City could look at right-hander Joe Kelly.
The 36-year-old shouldn't be too expensive given his struggles during the regular season. He is not on the Los Angeles Dodgers World Series roster.
He appeared in 35 games and missed time due to injuries. Kelly went 1-1 in those appearances and posted a 4.78 ERA. However, he still is a viable veteran presence and when he is right, he can be trusted in high-leverage spots.
Kelly was a key piece on the Dodgers 2020 World Series championship team and even helped the Boston Red Sox win a title in 2018, so there is plenty of solid experience to go around.
Spotrac projects that the veteran right-hander will receive a one-year, $3.2 million contract. Obviously, that should be right within the Royals price range. His market also shouldn't be too competitive.
Kelly could serve as a middle to back-end type reliever with Kansas City. We'll see if the Royals make a play for him.
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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.