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Could the Kansas City Royals sign Greg Holland?

By Eric Roseberry

Aug 14, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Greg Holland (56) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels in the ninth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City won the game 4-1. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 14, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Greg Holland (56) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels in the ninth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City won the game 4-1. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Kansas City Royals rode a dominant bullpen to back-to-back World Series appearances in 2014 and 2015. However, the bullpen took a step back this season for several reasons. Could the Royals look to a familiar face to try and upgrade their group of relievers heading in to 2017?

Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star recently raised this question. He looked at the possibility of the team signing former closer Greg Holland in free agency this offseason. From 2013-2015 Holland was the team’s primary closer. Injury issues ultimately led Kansas City to non-tender him prior to the 2016 season.

It was revealed that Holland had been pitching through an elbow injury since the end of 2014. That injury was later diagnosed as a “significant tear” of his UCL. This led to Tommy John surgery for Holland, who spent the entirety of the 2016 season recovering as a free agent.

With Holland out, the Royals turned to Wade Davis in the closer role. He continued to pitch well, but he did spend several stints on the DL this season with a forearm strain. Kelvin Herrera kept up his production in late inning situations, but newly acquired Joakim Soria struggled to fill the void left by Holland. This left Kansas City wondering where to turn to find the third elite reliever they had grown accustomed to.

As Dodd notes in his article, the Royals have made bullpen upgrades a priority for this offseason. That’s where Holland comes in. He’s clearly a pitcher the Royals are comfortable with if he’s healthy, but it’s difficult to see this reunion coming to fruition.

MLB teams are placing a premium on elite relievers, and Kansas City has already said they will cut payroll heading in to next season. If Holland is healthy, there will be no shortage of teams willing to give him serious money for his services. Kansas City isn’t going to get into a bidding war, and Holland’s agent, Scott Boras, is known for maximizing player contracts.

Next: Giants Off-Season Priorities

Greg Holland had an impressive run in Kansas City, and if the Royals want to upgrade their bullpen he seems like a natural fit. Given the financial situations involved it remains unlikely this scenario will play out, but it is a story worth watching. The Royals are just one season removed from a world championship, and with a few tweaks they could find themselves in contention for a playoff spot yet again.

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