Royals sign southpaw Yarbrough to 1-year deal
Coming out of the Winter Meetings, the Royals’ prime two priorities have been discovering a longtime starter and discovering a swingman who can pitch both out of the bullpen or rotation.
The latter has now been stuffed.
The Royals and left-hander Ryan Yarbrough have agreed to a one-year deal, the membership introduced Tuesday night time. Sources informed MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand the contract is value $3 million.
While it is but to be seen whether or not a reunion with Zack Greinke is within the membership’s future, the group determined so as to add to its depth with Yarbrough. The 30-year-old southpaw spent all of his five-year profession with Tampa Bay, serving in each beginning and aid roles — expertise that may profit Kansas City.
“You like to go into the year with like eight guys you think can start,” Royals govt vp and basic supervisor J.J. Picollo mentioned on the Winter Meetings.
Whether Yarbrough finally ends up extra as a starter or a reliever in 2023 stays to be seen, however no matter his position, he generally is a strike-throwing, low-walk addition to pitching coach Brian Sweeney’s employees. And it actually doesn’t damage that new supervisor Matt Quatraro is conversant in the hurler from his time in Tampa Bay.
Yarbrough has struggled extra the previous two years (a 4.90 ERA in 50 appearances) than his first three seasons with the Rays (a 3.94 ERA in 77 video games), and he was designated for project final month after he was projected by MLB Trade Rumors to earn greater than $4 million in arbitration. His common velocity is nicely under the norm — rating within the first percentile — in response to Statcast, and his strikeout price places him solely within the fifteenth percentile, however he can induce weak contact, rating within the 97th percentile in common exit velocity and the 94th in arduous hit proportion.
Yarbrough offers depth for Kansas City. While that piece is critical, the large goal stays Greinke and rounding out the beginning rotation with a veteran arm. If the Royals can lock up that want, they’ll flip their consideration to discovering a flexible infielder (ideally a right-handed bat) so as to add to the lineup.
