Kansas City Royals Add History-Making Lefty to Bullpen
Veteran left-hander Will Smith is headed to the Kansas City Royals on a one-year deal worth $5 million.
Per Jeff Passan of ESPN:
Left-handed reliever Will Smith and the Kansas City Royals are in agreement on a one-year, $5 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Smith, 34, made his big league debut with the Royals in 2012.
He has won a World Series ring each of the last three seasons.
Smith made history by winning those three straight titles, and we told you about that after he won the World Series with the Texas Rangers back in November. You can read more here.
The 34-year-old Smith pitched for the 2021 Braves in their World Series run, then joined the Houston Astros roster for the World Series in 2022 - though he did not pitch. He pitched in two games for the Rangers in this World Series, and he threw in five postseason games total.
A well-traveled veteran, he's spent 11 years in the big leagues overall with the Giants, Braves, Brewers, Royals and Rangers. He debuted for Kansas City in 2012 as Passan noted and actually served as a starter. He didn't transition to being a reliever until 2013 and really saw his career take off for the Brewers in 2014, when he made a league-most 78 appearances.
This year, he made 60 appearances for Texas, going 2-7 with a 4.40 ERA.
Lifetime, he's 33-41 with a 3.67 and has recorded 113 saves.
As for his role with the Royals, it's plausible that he'll get an opportunity to serve as the closer for the rebuilding group.
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