KC Royals Sign Reliever Peter Moylan To Minor League Deal

KC Royals general manager Dayton Moore added his third pitcher in the last week by bringing back reliever Peter Moylan on a minor league deal.

The Kansas City Royals continue to collect veteran bullpen arms by adding 38-year-old Peter Moylan to the mix. Moylan joins fellow veteran bullpen arms Seth Maness and Travis Wood who agreed to contracts on Monday.

Moylan also signed a minor-league deal with the KC Royals before the 2016 season. The Australian-born sidearmer proved to be a useful bullpen piece. He notched a solid 3.43 ERA in 50 games and 44.2 innings pitched. Manager Ned Yost repeatedly praised Moylan for his ability to get a ground-ball double play in what had been a mostly power bullpen the last few seasons.

Moylan has been an effective middle-reliever over his 10 year major-league career. His career 2.91 ERA and a 144 ERA+ (44% better than league average) reflect consistent production. For what it’s worth, Moylan also hasn’t been tagged with a major-league loss since September 7, 2011 (with Atlanta).

Dayton Moore  seems to be trying to rebuild his formerly shutdown bullpen by bringing in a horde of “bargain” veterans. He apparently hopes to capture enough comeback seasons that the Royals can replicate the bullpen production they enjoyed in their back-to-back pennant winning seasons in 2014-15.

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Along with Moylan, the KC Royals have signed reclamation projects like Bobby Parnell and Brandon League who are both former closers. Seth Maness is an injury risk after undergoing the experimental “primary repair” instead of the standard Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL. Former Giants (and Royals) starter Jonathan Sanchez will apparently compete for a bullpen spot after impressing Kansas City scouts this winter. The Kansas City Royals also brought in two former Tigers relievers in Al Aburqeurque and Chris Withrow.

Recent signee Travis Wood could end up in either the bullpen or the starting rotation.

Dayton Moore succeeded with a similar volume strategy in 2015. He received useful production from reclamation projects Ryan Madson, Chris Young, and Joe Blanton on the way to the franchise’s second World Series title. Chris Young contributed 2.5 bWAR as both a starter and reliever. Ryan Madson took over as one of Kansas City’s three-headed bullpen monsters when closer Greg Holland tore his UCL. Meanwhile, Blanton added four emergency starts (two wins), and 11 relief appearances with a decent 3.59 ERA in 2015. KC traded him for cash to the Pittsburgh Pirates at the trade deadline.

Next: KC Royals Add Swingman Travis Wood With Two-Year Deal

Moore might not be finished adding bullpen pieces. Luke Hochevar has still yet to pitch for major league teams after thoracic outlet syndrome surgery on his shoulder. Moore expressed interest in a reunion with Hochevar over the winter. KC would go a long way toward contending in 2017 if they can replicate their 2015 success with reclamation projects.