Ex-Red Sox, Dodgers 4-Time All-Star Loosely Linked To Royals In Free Agency
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As a pivotal 2025 season approaches for the Kansas City Royals, there may still be a few final roster tweaks forthcoming.
For a team that advanced to the second round of the playoffs, the Royals had a surprising number of weaknesses. The lineup didn't have a ton of juice behind Bobby Witt Jr. and the bullpen let the rest of the team down on too many occasions.
Fortunately, the Royals lucked out in landing fireballer Lucas Erceg from the Athletics at the trade deadline. The righty had never been a big-league closer before, but took to the role instantly in Kansas City and looks to have the inside track to retaining the job in the new season.
Would it be the worst thing, though, if the Royals brought in some veteran competition for Erceg?
On Sunday, Jacob Milham of FanSided urged the Royals to look into signing Kenley Jansen, a four-time All-Star who currently ranks fourth on the all-time Major League Baseball saves list with 447.
"For a Royals bullpen that already features a controllable closer in Lucas Erceg, adding Jansen could elevate the group from average to a fringe top-five unit in the AL," Milham wrote.
"The wealth of knowledge he’s accumulated across his career would be invaluable to Kansas City’s young bullpen, offering mentorship and insights that could help refine the team’s pitching approach."
Though he's entering his age-37 season, Jansen proved in 2024 that he can still lock down games at a high level. He saved 27 of 31 chances, while putting up a 3.29 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 54 2/3 innings for the Boston Red Sox.
Having a likely future Hall of Famer in the bullpen could have positive ramifications on all of the Royals relievers, even Erceg in the event that Jansen takes his job. There are plenty of high-leverage innings that need to be covered in Kansas City this season, and if Jansen stays healthy, he'd be a big help in doing so.
More MLB: Dodgers Fan-Favorite, 2-Time World Series Champ Projected As Strong Fit For Royals
Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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