KC Royals may want to consider this reliever as MLB Trade Deadline nears

Chicago might have a reliever Kansas City could use

Because the state of their relief corps prevents the Royals from focusing exclusively on the offensive help they also need, Picollo can't afford to rely on the club's present cast of relievers. Nor should manager Matt Quatraro be forced to to use McArthur, who's never experienced any big league playoff race pressure in any capacity, as his closer. Kansas City could benefit from a new bulpen addition who's been there, done that.

Enter the Chicago Cubs who, with next week's MLB Trade Deadline fast approaching, just happen to be coming to town for a three-game Kauffman Stadium series that begins Friday evening, and are bringing with them Héctor Neris, a postseason-tested major league veteran and proven closer. At age 35 he may not be the ideal candidate for the Royals, but he warrants more than a passing thought.

Although he, like Kansas City's McArthur, figured prominently in a loss Wednesday — he gave up the winning run in the Cubs' 3-2 loss to Milwaukee — Neris 8-3 with a 3.79 ERA and 14 saves in 38 appearances. His .237 OBA is 65 points lower than McArthur's, and he's struck out 38 in 35.2 innings. He's prone, however, to walking too many batters this season, but his 6.06 BB/9 is higher than his career 3.48.

In 11 big league seasons and 584 games, Neris is 41-39 with a 3.28 ERA and 103 saves.

He also has valuable post season experience from his 2022 and 2023 Houston seasons. In the 2022 World Series, he pitched a scoreless inning in the Astros' Game 6 clincher and wasn't scored upon in his other two appearances. He also pitched well in that year's American League Division Series and AL Championship Series.

The primary blemish on Neris' playoff record is the four runs he coughed up to Minnesota in last season's AL Division Series. He subsequently faced Texas five times in the seven-game ALCS and gave up two runs in 6.1 innings.

Does the prospect of acquiring Neris warrant a meeting with the Cubs? Let's find out...

Should the KC Royals consider Héctor Neris?

Picollo should think about Neris; how seriously is the question. Neris struggled some early in the season, and a pair of subpar games bumped his ERA to 4.73 in late June, but in 10 appearances since then he's surrendered only the one run he gave the Brewers Wednesday. His record suggests he's pitching well enough to help some contender, and ESPN's Jess Rogers recently reported scouts have been watching him.

Neris also won't break Kansas City's bank: paying a bit less than half of his $9 million one-year contract has to be within Picollo's trade deadline budget. (That Neris could reach performance incentives that would reward him with a player option for next season could, however, give Picollo pause — if it considers bringing him aboard, the club should think of Neris as a rental to help it get to this year's playoffs, not a longer-term investment).

In the end, how fast the Royals want to supplement their pen, who's available on the market, and who won't demand too much in return for a reliever capable of closing, will determine what Picollo does. There may be better choices out there, but he'd be remiss not to at least have a conversation with the Cubs while they're in town.

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