Kansas City Royals add another piece for future of bullpen

The Kansas City Royals have added an intriguing piece to their bullpen, as they claimed Jacob Barnes from the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Kansas City Royals bullpen has been a disaster for much of the season. Their free agent signings did not work out, leaving virtually every inning until the ninth as a question mark. Ian Kennedy has managed to reinvent himself as a closer, but the rest of the bullpen has been shaky at best.

With 2019 already a lost season, the Royals are looking ahead for the future. They may have added a key part to that bullpen moving forward, as they claimed Jacob Barnes off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers.

While Barnes is not going to make an immediate impact with the Royals, he can still be a part of the future. He is under team control through 2023, and is not yet arbitration eligible. And, based on his track record, he may already be the Royals second best reliever on the 40 man roster.

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From 2016 through 2018, Barnes had been a dependable middle reliever for Milwaukee. In his 147.1 innings, he had posted a 3.54 ERA and a 1.317 WHiP, striking out 153 batters with 63 walks. Barnes also did a solid job of keeping the ball in the park, allowing only 13 homers, as his extreme ground ball tendencies were at their peak.

This season has been a different story. Barnes struggled with the Brewers, posting a 6.86 ERA and a 1.678 WHiP, walking 11 batters while recording 22 strikeouts in 19.2 innings. Opponents had posted a career worst .769 OPS against Barnes, as he struggled to command his stuff in the strike zone.

Barnes has pitched much better in AAA since he was sent down. Over his 14 innings in San Antonio, he had posted a 4.50 ERA, but has a 1.143 WHiP, striking out 15 batters with just two walks. If he continues that success in Omaha, it may not be long before the Royals summon Barnes back to the majors.

The Kansas City Royals need long term pieces for their bullpen. Jacob Barnes could end up being one of those pitchers.