KC Royals will be sellers if these 5 players don’t step up now

P James McArthur

We used to call him The General. He used to ride a white horse out of the Kansas City bullpen. But now James McArthur is a scarcely used reliever looking to find himself again in the Royals relief pecking order.

The reliever hasn't truly regained the closer moniker he once held, with a spattering of meltdown performances this season. He has only allowed two earned runs this month, but both came in a game-losing effort against the Seattle Mariners on June 9. Since the performance, he only has three appearances, and all are in below-average leverage situations.

The Royals bullpen issues are abundant, with no reliable, high-leverage option standing out. Kansas City is hoping McArthur can be that option for 2024 and beyond. But he will need to prove himself if the lineup starts scoring runs again. A save or two against the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians would go a long way, or perhaps flashing his strikeout stuff for an inning or two.

McArthur also needs to rebound for an off-field reason as well. When Picollo traded for the Philadelphia Phillies castoff, it was a head-scratching move. Yet, by season's end, Royals fans couldn't stop praising the adept move. If McArthur can be a stable bullpen presence for Kansas City without breaking the bank, it will help regain fans' trust in impactful low-level player acquisitions.