Breaking down who Royals received from Dodgers after trading All-Star southpaw Kris Bubic

The Kansas City Royals trading left-handed starter Kris Bubic at the 2026 MLB trade deadline was an outcome many fans foresaw even before the season began. After all, the oft-injured Bubic was coming off an All-Star season in 2025 but destined for free agency in 2027. The context of the trade, though, was vastly different than fans had hoped for. Instead of moving Bubic for a bat to strengthen Kansas City's lineup ahead of a postseason push, the southpaw's departure was more of a minor move.

Bubic has not pitched in MLB action since May, landing on the IL with soreness in his left elbow, then struggling with shoulder soreness after a pre-All-Star break rehab assignment attempt. Overall, Bubic has been another entry in the rotten luck and poor results that have befallen the AL Central club this season.

But thankfully, there was still a market for Bubic despite him just starting a throwing program. The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Bubic in a deal that is closer to a lottery ticket than the Tarik Skubal move. Kansas City added an MLB-ready talent at a position of need in right-handed reliever Carlos Duran.

Duran, a 25-year-old from Nagua, Dominican Republic, first joined the Dodgers back in 2018 when he signed a minor league contract with the club. He pitched across seven professional seasons but made a brief detour to the Athletics organization. Los Angeles traded Duran to the nomadic franchise for former Royals farmhand Esteury Ruiz on April 2, 2025. Duran made his one and only MLB appearance for the Athletics on May 22, 2025 against the Los Angeles Angels, allowing three runs on three walks and a single. The Athletics designated Duran for assignment the following day, but he rejoined the Dodgers on a minor league pact on Dec. 12, 2025.

Who is Carlos Duran, the Royals' newest addition to the organization?

Duran was a starter for most of his professional career before transitioning to the bullpen regularly in 2025. Across his minor league career, he has 156 appearances (82 starts), carrying a 4.17 ERA, 1.450 WHIP, and 11.0 K/9 against a 4.6 BB/9. In 2026, Duran has a career-high two saves for Triple-A Oklahoma City, with a 3.38 ERA, 1.430 WHIP, and 12.9 K/9 against a 5.9 BB/9 in 42.2 innings pitched. He does not surrender a ton of home runs, allowing only four in his 105.1 innings pitched since the start of 2025.

Duran joins the Royals after being one of the Pacific Coast League's best relief pitchers this year. He leads all qualified relievers with 61 strikeouts while ranking in the top 20 with a 3.37 ERA, 3.98 FIP, 31.1% strikeout rate, and 16.8% strikeout-minus-walk rate. The walks have always been Duran's biggest red flag, evident in his MLB debut and his 14.3% walk rate this season. Duran carries a 34.1% CSW% on the season, with 38.3% of his pitches landing as balls.

Duran has a straightforward slider and four-seamer approach, working in a sinker 19.5% of the time and rounding out the arsenal with a changeup tossed 5.7% of his 804 pitches this season. The slider is his best-performing pitch, earning a 4.99 PLV with batters whiffing 44.4% of the time against it. It induces plenty of soft contact too, with only a 31.4% hard-hit rate and .236 xwOBA in Triple-A. Duran's fastball averages 96.9 mph this season, touching 99-plus multiple times this summer. He primarily locates it high and inside to right-handed batters, using it most often in 0-0 or 1-0 counts. It earns a poor 4.04 PLV this season, while his sinker is only marginally better at 4.26 PLV. Duran's changeup performs well against lefties, with a 52.4% whiff rate and 4.86 PLV this season.

Oklahoma City used Duran for more than a single inning of work 15 times this season, although his last two-inning outing came on May 29. Since then, Duran's ERA and FIP have both improved while batters have managed only a paltry .176 batting average against him. Duran has a lower-than-average arm slot, boding well for his durability and adding some deception to his arsenal.

Locked On Royals' Jack Johnson's comparison of Duran to current Royals reliever Steven Cruz is fairly eerie, especially factoring in both pitchers' towering mound presence. There were questions about Cruz that kept him from being a bullpen regular early in his career, and the iffy fastball pairing is Duran's primary concern coming out of the bullpen as well.

But there is little reason to think Royals fans will not see the Dominican in the big leagues soon after J.J. Picollo didn't discount the possibility he could immediately debut in the Royals organization in the major league bullpen. He has plenty of team control, Kansas City's bullpen looks incredibly barren, and that notable present slider is something to dream on.

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