KC Royals Free Agent Hunt: Help from the Halos?

Could a righty with eight years in the majors help the KC Royals’ bullpen?

Archie Bradley had seven big league seasons in the book when he signed a free agent deal with the Angels last March. They were seven serviceable campaigns—Bradley was 30-28 with a 3.89 ERA when he arrived in LA to begin the lockout-delayed season, and had appeared in 21 games when he and his teammates engaged in a June 27 on-field tussle with the Mariners.

Unfortunately, Bradley broke his elbow during the melee and missed the rest of the major league season. He pitched twice on a brief minor league rehab assignment and was 2-0, 2.70 when LA reactivated him. But a forearm strain forced him back to the Injured List before he saw action.

Should Kansas City take a risk on a reliever whose most recent moment in a big league game was ugly and resulted in a fractured elbow?

Perhaps. Bradley isn’t a bad pitcher. He doesn’t strike out a lot of batters but has fair control and, his broken elbow notwithstanding, durability—he pitched 63 games for Arizona in 2017, 76 for the Diamondbacks in 2018, and another 66 in 2019. He also threw 53 times for the Phillies two seasons ago.

So if the Royals want to supplement their bullpen with an experienced righthander, Bradley could be their man.