KC Royals sign former AL Central and cross-state rival in ongoing pitching search

The Kansas City Royals have one of the finest pitching staffs in the American League. They have the best ERA (3.07), fifth-best WHIP (1.17), and sixth-best OBA (.234) in the league, and only the sizzling Twins, who've won 13 of their last 14 games, have surrendered fewer runs. And other than sidelining injuries to starters Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans, who may well return in time for the club's important end-of-the-month series with Detroit, the Royals don't have much to complain about when it comes to their rotation and bullpen.

Curiously, though, the good hasn't kept general manager J.J. Picollo from searching for more pitching. In fact, Picollo busied himself over the last several days by signing three free agent hurlers with big league experience and assigning them to Triple-A Omaha. First came Stephen Nogosek, who's pitched in parts of four seasons for the Mets. Picollo then brought seven-year major league veteran Trevor Richards aboard before signing Rich Hill, who'll pitch in his 21st big league season if he makes it to Kansas City.

But Picollo's work apparently isn't done. In a Sunday move confirmed by the Long Island Ducks, the independent ball club that plays in the Atlantic League and the team he's leaving, the Royals have purchased the contract of former major leaguer John Gant. He'll soon begin work at Omaha.

The KC Royals have acquired former rival pitcher John Gant

Although not all Kansas City fans will recognize Gant's name when they hear it, he's not an unfamiliar figure to many of them — or the Royals. The 32-year-old right-hander broke into the majors with Atlanta in 2016, then pitched for Royals cross-state rival St. Louis for five years and part of a season with AL Central rival Minnesota. And the Royals haven't treated him well — they've battered him for seven runs and a pair of losses in the four games and 11.2 innings he's worked against them.

Fortunately, his body of big league work is better than his experience against Kansas City. He's 24-26 with a 3.89 ERA over his six-season career. Primarily a reliever ( he's come out of the bullpen in 124 of his 179 appearances), he enjoyed his best major league season with the Cardinals when he went 11-1 with a 3.66 ERA and three saves in 2019.

But Gant threw his last big league pitch in 2021, the year he was 4-6 with a 3.42 ERA when the third-place Cardinals sent him — and present Royals reliever Evan Sisk — to last-place Minnesota for pitcher J.A. Happ and some cash at the trade deadline. Gant went 1-5 and gave up 24 runs (21 earned) in 33.2 innings for the Twins. And his last appearance came against the Royals, to whom he lost on the next-to-last day of the season.

Gant then took his baseball aspirations to Japan, where he pitched only in 2023, going 0-2 with a 6.52 ERA in just three games for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.

Gant turned to independent ball when he joined Long Island earlier this year. The change suited him well — he had a stellar 1.71 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 21 innings before the Royals picked up his contract.

Gant's eclectic big league pitch assortment has included a sinker, cutter, four-seam fastball, slider, curve, and changeup.

Why did the KC Royals obtain John Gant?

Good question. The Royals have excellent options with which to deal with the temporary losses of Lugo and Ragans, their bullpen concerns are minor, and they just signed Nogosek, Richards, and Hill, all of whom know the majors.

In all likelihood, Picollo and the organization view Gant as a depth piece, a pitcher who can help out at Omaha and fill in on an emergency basis in Kansas City. Don't expect him to serve any long-term role with the big club.