The Royals entered the offseason with a clear goal of adding veteran depth to their young rotation, jordan lyles When Ryan Yarbrough We have met that need. But general manager JJ Piccolo told the Kansas City Star’s Lynn Worthy and other reporters:I think we still need to exploreFurther reinforcement to the starting 5 players.
“Because no matter who the pitcher is, you never know what’s going to happen throughout the offseason.said Piccolo. “So if we have the opportunity to go deeper and better, we can’t close the door now.”
Technically, Lyles is the only player with a guaranteed full-time spot in the 2023 rotation, as KC can choose to keep Yarbrough as their swingman. Appearing in 59 midgame starts (all for the Rays), he has acted as a traditional starter, opener, bulk pitcher behind opener, and long reliever. The Royals’ new manager, Matt Quatraro, is a former longtime member of the Rays’ coaching staff, so he’s very familiar with how to deploy Yarbrough in a way that helps the entire pitching staff.
Given the uncertainty across Kansas City’s rest of the rotation, Yarbrough’s versatility gives Quatraro, Piccolo, and company some flexibility in their pitching options. brady singer As a highly regarded young starter, it’s the only surefire way to start a role. Daniel Lynch, Chris BubikWhen Jackson Cower All have struggled in their relatively short major league careers.veteran Brad Keller Also, the last two seasons have been very volatile and he was moved to the bullpen last summer.
As much as the Royals want (or need) to see what they’ve got in Lynch, Bubic and Cower, bringing in another stable and veteran Hurler in addition to Lyles and Yarbrough will do the trick. It may help the Royals be more competitive in 2023. Considering the youngsters vying for one starting spot heading into the season opener, Keller seems like a short leash for a rotation job. It is thought that it may be something. Additionally, the Royals can also pivot and move Yarbrough to the pen when multiple pitchers are impressive during spring training.
Piccolo also suggested that starting pitchers who failed to earn a rotation slot could get out of the bullpen. This need may be addressed from the inside. That doesn’t prevent him from finally returning to rotation work later this season or in 2024, but he hopes the Royals will explore all possibilities to upgrade their struggling pitching staff last year. is clear.