Kansas City Royals: Brad Boxberger could be perfect bullpen signing

The Kansas City Royals need to rebuild their bullpen. Brad Boxberger could be the perfect fit.

To call the Kansas City Royals bullpen last season a disaster may be an unfair statement…to disasters. The Royals bullpen, in large part due to the struggles of Blaine Boyer, Brandon Maurer, and Justin Grimm, posted a 5.04 ERA, better than only the Marlins amongst major league teams.

Although the bullpen should be better due to addition by the subtraction of that trio, the Royals still need help. Yes, Wily Peralta is set to return next year, but he was hardly a reliable option as closer, given his 1.485 WHip and 23 walks in 34.1 innings. Kansas City will need other options to help shore up the bullpen, even as potential trade options this year.

While the Royals do not plan on spending heavily this offseason, there are pitchers available that could be intriguing options. One of those is former closer Brad Boxberger, who had recently been let go by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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Boxberger struggled in his only season in Arizona, posting a 4.39 ERA and a 1.425 WHiP despite notching 32 saves. Most importantly, he was healthy for much of the year, appearing in 60 games as he worked his way back from a flexor strain in 2017. Although he struck out 71 batters in 53.1 innings, Boxberger issued 32 walks and allowed nine homers.

When healthy, Boxberger has been a solid reliever over his career. He had served as a closer and a setup man for the Rays, leading the AL with 41 saves in 2015. He had posted a 3.33 ERA and a 1.191 WHiP in his four years with the Rays, striking out 240 batters with 82 walks in 181.1 innings.

Given his previous track record of success, Boxberger is the perfect pitcher to take a gamble on, hoping that he can bounce back to his previous form. For a team like the Royals, who would be looking for potentially lower cost lottery tickets, having a reliever with that type of track record join the bullpen could be quite the boon. If he proves to be healthy, not only would he help for the 2019 campaign, but he would be a potential trade chip to help accelerate the rebuild. If not, he would not cost much, making him expendable.

The Kansas City Royals will be looking for potential bargains as they look to shore up the bullpen. Brad Boxberger could be one of those pieces.