3 low-cost acquisitions who could help rebuild the Royals bullpen for 2027

As the Kansas City Royals head back to the drawing board following back-to-back postseason misses they have plenty of areas that need to be addressed. There's one area of the Royals roster in need of a complete reboot, and that's the bullpen.

To say the Royals' bullpen underperformed in 2026 would be an understatement. Whether it was injury or underperformance, Kansas City's relief corps ranked 28th in BAA, 29th in ERA, and dead last in both WHIP and FIP.

When you also consider just how many holes are in the bullpen, low-cost acquisitions become that much more valuable. Here are a few routes J.J. Picollo could take to scratch that low-cost relief itch.

An A.J. Puk gamble is right up the Royals' traditional offseason alley

A.J. Puk didn't pitch for the Arizona Diamondbacks last year and has just eight innings of work under his belt since 2024 due to recovery from a torn UCL. However in those eight innings of work, Puk made some real impact in picking up from where he left off with the Marlins and D-backs in 2024.

Puk's strikeout abilities can't be overlooked, and could be a real game-changer for a bullpen that sat dead-last in in strikeout rate last season. Since 2019, Puk has managed to post K/9 clips no lower than 10.31, including a 12.39 mark in 2023 and a 13.50 in his limited run in 2025.

Despite his success when on the field, his injury will likely force him into a prove it deal which is ideal for a team like the Royals. KC's current bullpen is chock full of righties and in dire need of impactful lefties in the back-end.

Royals can't overlook relief reunion with Taylor Clarke

When the Royals made there decisions on who would be non-tendered last winter, it came as somewhat a surprise to see Taylor Clarke's name. After all, he was arguably one of their highest performing relievers with a 3.25 ERA and 0.85 WHIP 55.1 innings of work.

In 73 innings with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2026, Clarke threw to a career best 2.96 ERA alongside a sterling 1.00 WHIP and .219 BAA.

The fact he's not a strikeout merchant and leans on slower moving slider and changeup as his primary offerings may have him flying under the radar. However, with a walk rate of 4.9% and a 70th percentile groundball rate are signs that he knows how mitigate damage beyond just striking hitters out.

Throw in Clarke's familiarity with pitching in the Kauffman Stadium confines and suddenly the Royals might have an ideal set-up candidate -- or potential closer -- for what should be relatively cheap.

Yuki Matsui could give Royals path to trade redemption or prime UFA target

Yuki Matsui is coming off a brilliant year. He was eighth in all of baseball among qualified relievers in both ERA and BAA -- with a 1.83 and .167 BAA, respectively. On top of that, he was one of the most efficient arms in baseball when it came to getting hitters to whiff, limiting hard-hit balls, and controlling exit velocities.

But Matsui struggled with his command to a degree in 2026 walking 13.6% of hitters he faced. He's also flyball-oriented pitcher -- with a 53.0% flyball rate last season, who doesn't throw hard with an average fastball velocity of 91.9 mph. When pitching in Kauffman Stadium after the outfield walls have been moved in this could pose as a problem.

However, his 2026 season can't be overlooked just because he's not the prototypical fireball closer that everyone covets. Matsui's stuff worked even if it did look rough around the edges to a degree. He was an integral member of the Padres' bullpen and there was certainly enough there to get prospective suitors excited about the idea of adding him to the fold.

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