According to the Kansas City Star, the Royals have added more bullpen depth by adding former Philadelphia Phillies closer, Ryan Madson, to a minor-league deal.
The former Phillies 9th-round pick in 1998 has not pitched since 2011. Madsen, now 34-years old, made his name as one of the premier set-up men in baseball, pitching eighth innings while Brad Lidge warmed up. He finally got his chance to close in 2011 and he excelled, going 4-2 with an ERA of 2.37 while recording 32 saves. During the offseason that year he signed a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds, but missed the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.
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Madson was both a starter and reliever during his 9-year stint with the Phillies. His career line includes a record of 47-30, an ERA of 3.59, and 547 strikeouts spread out over 630 major league innings in 491 appearances.
Madson attempted a prior comeback attempt with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2013, but he re-injured the elbow in his only minor league appearance. Now, 34-years old, it will be interesting to see where he fits in to Kansas City’s three-headed monster of a bullpen in Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and closer Greg Holland. Perhaps he serves as an insurance policy, or perhaps he can break camp as a middle reliever.