Royals' 2024 Closer Gives Candid Answer About Possible Demotion Behind Carlos Estévez
In this story:
The Kansas City Royals' bullpen has come a long way in just a year's time.
In 2024, the Royals were preparing to start a season with James McArthur as their closer. In 2025, even if McArthur were healthy, he'd rank no higher than third on that depth chart, thanks to two marquee additions.
At last season's trade deadline, the Royals nabbed Lucas Erceg from the Athletics, and he was everything you could want from a closer. He pitched to a 2.88 ERA and minuscule 1.17 FIP in 23 regular-season outings and also kept opponents at bay during October,
However, the Royals saw a chance in free agency and took it, signing 2023 All-Star closer Carlos Estévez to a two-year contract. That means it's entirely possible Erceg is demoted to setup man, even though he was excellent as a closer.
In an interview on Wednesday, Erceg told MLB.com's Anne Rogers that he was indifferent about his role, as long as he was helping his team push towards a repeat appearance in the postseason.
“I don’t really care what my role is going to be," Erceg said. "I’ve been telling all my friends and family, there’s nothing quite like that feeling -- you can’t even put it into words -- of what the postseason is like. But I want to experience it again, for sure.”
Erceg also recounted receiving a phone call from general manager J.J. Picollo and manager Matt Quatraro the night of the Estévez signing, giving him a heads-up about the move and reassuring him he would still be an important piece of the bullpen.
“That creates the culture, that creates the foundation,” Erceg said. “That’s pure class from the Royals as an organization.”
When it comes to closer experience, the 32-year-old Estévez has Erceg beat. He's got 82 career saves to Erceg's 14, and he's thrown nearly four times the number of big-league innings, as 2024 was Erceg's second season of full-time Major League Baseball experience.
If Erceg and Estévez can both lock in, the Royals could have one of the best shutdown units in all of baseball this season. Shortening games is a key to staying atop the standings, so whichever order they're pitching in, Kansas City is counting on them both to perform up to their 2024 stats.
More MLB: Red Sox-Royals Trade Idea Brings 61-Strikeout Boston Reliever To Kansas City
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
Follow jrobertsbsbl