J.J. Picollo welcomes Matt Strahm to the Royals, as covered by Anne Rogers.
“We were all very, very excited when we realized this was a possibility for our team,” general manager J.J. Picollo said. “We know
Matt very well as a person, as a player, what type of competitor he is. And when you’re talking about a bullpen and pitching in high-leverage situations, there’s not very many left-handers that have done it better than Matt for the last couple of years. Proud to have been part of his career early on and to watch him move on and do what he’s doing — pitching in All-Star Games and playoff series, it’s a pretty special career. This is exactly what our bullpen needed right now.”
Jaylon Thompson has more.
“I was telling J.J. before we started this that it all kind of feels like a movie to me,” Strahm said. “It all started here in Kansas City and it’s gone full circle.”
David Schoenfield at ESPN grades the Strahm trade a “B” for the Royals.
This trade completes that puzzle, and while the rotation is deep beyond the top five, the Royals need to add a little more in the bullpen department, though we shouldn’t overlook the possible healthy return of James McArthur. Given the Royals’ always-strong defensive profile, Kansas City once again has the look of a top-10 run prevention team.
The dings on this move involve risks around the performance/price consideration when it comes to Strahm. Basically, the Royals need Strahm to be for them what he was for the Phillies, because $7.5 million is a lot of money for a non-closer on a small-market team. Erceg, Strahm’s righty setup counterpart, is still in the pre-arbitration phase of his service time, for example. That’s more typical of a small-market bullpen setup.
David Lesky writes about what might be next for the Royals.
The free agent market still offers guys like Austin Hays, Harrison Bader, Rob Refsnyder, Mike Tauchman and even Cody Bellinger. For the right price, I’m fine with any of them. An issue I have with Bellinger and Bader is that I just think they are asking for too many years and too much money, though both would make the 2026 Royals better. The best fit of any players left remains Bo Bichette. His market hasn’t really materialized either, to the point that he’s publicly stating he’s willing to move to second.
I know they have Jonathan India at $8 million, but I’ve been told there is a market for him, though small, so there’s a chance they could move India. Bichette would be an ideal fit with his offensive approach. The only issue is that he’d cost the Royals their second-round pick, but they can at least mitigate the loss of the slot money for that with their lottery fortune. I’d do it. I don’t think they will.
The Astros, Pirates, and Rays complete a seven-player trade that sends Brandon Lowe to Pittsburgh.
Baltimore acquires pitcher Shane Baz from the Rays for four players and a draft pick.
The Cardinals are shopping lefty JoJo Romero while seeking left-handed relief help.
Could the Cubs target Kris Bubic in a trade?
Ken Rosenthal has details on Ketel Marte’s no-trade clause.
Nick Kurtz is the premier opposite-field power hitter in baseball.
Why the Tigers might trade Tarik Skubal.
MLB caught Emmanuel Clase breaking cell phone rules built for the sign-stealing era. [$]
The Angels settle with the family of former pitcher Tyler Skaggs in a wrongful death lawsuit.
Why Alex Rodriguez’s Hall of Fame case was doomed to fail.
Owners of the Houston Rockets are in talks to buy the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun and relocate the team.
How a small school in the Virginia mountains became a national title contender in football.
TikTok throws its creators an award show.
The coldest body temperatures humans have survived.
How the Avatar team created the fantastic world of Fire and Ash.
Your song of the day is The Kinks with the Death of a Clown.
