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...