Royals Should Check In With Danny Duffy This Offseason

If Kansas City wants some more bullpen depth, perhaps reuniting with an old friend could help.

In a Kansas City Royals offseason filled with change, one area of the team that projects to have plenty of moving pieces and parts in 2023 is the bullpen.

Returning are core pieces such as closer Scott Barlow and setup man Dylan Coleman, as well as 2022 newcomers such as Jose Cuas, Taylor Clarke, Anthony Misiewicz and Amir Garrett. Additionally, the likes of Josh Staumont and Collin Snider could filter into the picture, as could Richard Lovelady now that he's another offseason removed from Tommy John surgery. Elsewhere, there's a significant group of X-factors — Brad Keller, Carlos Hernandez and Jackson Kowar, to name a few — that could produce varying outcomes moving forward.

That's without even mentioning the minor-league deals Kansas City has inked as of late or other possible rotation-to-bullpen shuffling (Jonathan Heasley, Kris Bubic, Angel Zerpa and Ryan Yarbrough all slot into the latter group). Is there a low-stakes move that could add even more intrigue to the potential 2023 relief corps?

How about signing Danny Duffy?

Duffy, who spent over a decade in Kansas City before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers midway through the 2021 campaign, hasn't pitched at the big-league level since leaving the Royals. A flexor tendon injury promptly shut him down for the rest of the 2021 season and that subsequent rehab kept pushing his return timeline back, thus limiting him to just 6.2 innings of minor league ball to close out this past season. Duffy's $7 million club option for 2023 was declined by Los Angeles in November, and he's been on the free agent market ever since. 

Duffy's brief stints across three stops in the Dodgers' minor league system near the end of the 2022 season produced mixed results. His 5.40 ERA in just under seven frames is nothing to write home about, nor are the four walks he allowed. With that said, he did manage to record 11 strikeouts in the process. The 34-year-old said in the spring that he contemplated retirement before recommitting to the game of baseball and getting "bonus time" added to his career, and there haven't been any reports of a change of heart this offseason.

The last time Duffy was healthy and pitching at the big-league level, he was having one of the better seasons of his career. In 13 games (12 starts) with the Royals, he posted a 4-3 record with a 2.51 ERA and a 9.59 K/9 across 61 innings of work. A 4.21 xERA and 3.40 FIP indicate that he was due for some regression but still, that level of production would've been welcomed with open arms by Kansas City. If he can become even most of his old self, he'd be a valuable addition to a bullpen that would benefit from another southpaw.

It's unlikely that starting is in Duffy's future, especially considering the path he's taken since his July 2021 trade. Durability is a concern, as is whether he can regain his old form. With that said, it wasn't too long ago at all that his velocity was higher than it had been in years and his effectiveness was matching that. A small sample size in a rehab stint isn't enough to write him off just yet.

Duffy's familiarity with the Royals, as well as his experience in a relief pitching role, could make him an interesting pickup. Even a minor-league deal could parlay itself into some level of production in Kansas City during the 2023 campaign. There are a couple of notable former Royals (Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer) who don't make sense for the club to pick up the phone and call, but checking in with Duffy may be worth it for both him and the team.

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