Kansas City Royals not committing to bullpen roles just yet
By David Hill
The regular season is still over four months away. The Kansas City Royals refusal to lock players into specific bullpen roles just yet makes sense.
March 28, 2019. That is when the Kansas City Royals will begin the 2019 season, facing the Chicago White Sox in their home opener. It is a date over four months into the future, which means that a lot can happen in that time frame. That is particularly true when it comes to the bullpen, as the young Royals look to find the right pieces to improve a major weakness from 2018.
Given that time, and the nebulous nature of the Royals relievers, it is understandable as to why general manager Dayton Moore is not willing to lock anyone into a specific role just yet, including last year’s closer Wily Peralta.
Dayton Moore tells https://t.co/6TSm0LErFq that the 2019 Royals won't get locked into definitive bullpen roles: "We need to use our pitchers in a creative, efficient way to get 27 outs..." That means Wily Peralta won't necessarily be the closer. https://t.co/riTdFBCbbW via @MLB
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) November 14, 2018
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That stance certainly makes sense. While Peralta was 14-14 in save opportunities last season, he was hardly a sure thing coming from the bullpen. He posted a 3.67 ERA; however, his 1.485 WHiP and 23 walks in 34.2 innings show that there was a bit of luck to those results. Indeed, his 4.73 FIP is far more indicative of the type of pitcher he was, which was not a shutdown closer.
Meanwhile, there are other possible options to close coming through the ranks. Richard Lovelandy may get a chance to be the Royals closer next year, especially after his solid 2.47 ERA and 1.014 WHiP for Omaha last season. Over 73 AAA innings, he struck out 71 batters with just 21 walks. Scott Barlow has pitched well in Japan during the recent exhibition tour, and could find himself in the closer mix as well.
Then there are the possible free agents that the Royals could sign as it gets closer to Spring Training. Those pitchers on one year flier contracts could prove valuable; not just in rebuilding the bullpen, but in terms of possible trade chips come July. Of course, simply not having the likes of Brandon Maurer, Justin Grimm, and Blaine Boyer will improve the relief corps by default.
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There is still a long time to go until the 2019 campaign gets underway. Until that happens, do not expect the Royals to have a specific role in mind for any of their relievers.