3 Royals relievers who could step in and replace a struggling Alex Lange as closer

Six different Kansas City Royals pitchers have earned saves this season, with eight earning the inglorious blown save as well. The closer situation has not been as straightforward this year as it was in 2025, when righties Carlos Estévez and Lucas Erceg were the clear one-two options for most of the season. Erceg has been volatile in 2026, earning the last of his 12 saves nearly two months ago. Estévez blew a save in his one outing and has been on the injured list since then, after carrying massive velocity concerns throughout spring training.

All that volatility has ended up with righty Alex Lange serving as Kansas City's primary closer since the beginning of June, even if the team does not consistently have save opportunities for him. In his 16 save opportunities this season, he has a respectable 3.55 ERA and 1.263 WHIP, eerily similar to his 2023 production when Lange had 26 saves for the Detroit Tigers. Respectable, at least in relation to being thrust into the role after being an offseason afterthought.

But the latest results have been far from ideal. Lange has three saves in July, sure, but a 14.21 ERA and 6.90 FIP have fans nervous about seeing him come in during the ninth once again, with more calls for a change in the closer role. The sad reality is that Kansas City does not have many options who are possibly better than Lange, a byproduct of mounting injuries and an aimless season. But just because there are not many does not mean Kansas City is entirely without options to replace the struggling Lange if they decide to pull the trigger.

Steven Cruz has quietly developed into one of Royals' most effective relievers

Cruz has been a workhorse for the Royals since they returned from the All-Star break, making eight appearances with two saves and two holds in that stretch. The Royals have already experimented with the Dominican closing games, with him finishing four of them since July 22 alone.

Cruz has not been perfect this season but has rebounded nicely from his early struggles. In his past two save opportunities, Cruz has allowed two hits, one walk, and one earned run while striking out three and earning the save each time out. That does ignore his blown save from earlier this season against the Boston Red Sox, but Cruz undeniably has the best strikeout potential in Kansas City's bullpen, a key trait for closers. His 14.7% swinging strike rate ranks 28th in MLB among qualified relievers, and Cruz has been getting more out of his four-seam and cutter combination this month, with his slider usage falling to 8.6% compared to a season average of 15.5%.

If the Royals need someone else to ride down the stretch, there are several worse options than Cruz. He has the strikeout stuff, some limited success in save situations, and is trending in the right direction as August approaches.

Daniel Lynch IV is long overdue to be rewarded for his breakout 2026 season

The Royals should be floating Lynch to other lefty-reliever-needy teams, but recent reporting has Kansas City only looking to move their rentals, and Lynch is not one of those players. Lynch is in the midst of a career year, and if the Royals are already looking to retain him for 2027, they would be foolish not to give him more save opportunities.

Lynch is posting career bests in ERA, WHIP, and FIP, all while making 45 appearances for the Royals. This has been his first season as a true single-inning reliever, and he has still accrued 0.8 fWAR, which leads the Royals' bullpen. His stuff has seen a huge jump in that role shift, with his sinker being both his best-performing pitch and his most-used pitch. His changeup is absurd against right-handed batters, landing it in the zone at an elite 48.7% rate (93rd percentile) and registering strikes 69.5% of the time (95th percentile).

Those facts would make Lynch an attractive trade asset, considering he has one more year of team control as well. He is trending the right way in his career outlook, even if the lacking strikeouts are concerning for a reliever. Lynch still has not allowed an earned run this month in 11.0 innings pitched. That is what teams should want their closers to do, right? Ignore the matchups for a moment, and if he is still here after the trade deadline, move Lynch to the ninth-inning role and see if he sinks or swims.

Matt Strahm might be the best of the rest despite his immense struggles in 2026

After Lynch and Cruz, there is a massive drop-off. With Schreiber hopefully being traded away and Lange on thin ice, that leaves guys like Easton McGee or Nate Pearson as other options. Neither has done anything in a Royals uniform to warrant a jump to high leverage, and really Strahm has not either. But like Lynch, if Strahm is healthy and willing, moving him to the ninth could be a win-win for both parties.

Strahm has been a massive disappointment after the Royals traded for him last offseason. While old friend Jonathan Bowlan is shining for the Philadelphia Phillies, Strahm is having a career-worst year, with a negative fWAR that would make Salvador Perez blush. He has not been able to limit the long ball this season, and his 7.01 ERA and 6.94 FIP are nearly double his career averages. But before blowing things in the ninth on Thursday, Strahm was perhaps turning a corner since the All-Star break.

Again before Thursday's nightmare (and in Strahm's defense Erceg was largely responsible for the damage before he was thrown into the fire), he'd thrown 3.1 innings pitched in four appearances, but a 2.70 ERA and four strikeouts to one walk was certainly a trend in the right direction.

If the Royals do not trade away Strahm's expiring contract and want to avoid burning out a younger player as the closer, then moving Strahm into the role could be a safe route. This may also help the southpaw, because if he succeeds in the role, that would go a long way in proving he is still a viable bullpen arm for a contending team in 2027. It is a risk and not really one that has immediate payoff for either party, but still an option that could be better than Lange at this point.

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