Three potential starting pitchers the KC Royals could target in Pittsburgh

General manager J.J. Picollo has made no secret that this off-season he must find pitching depth. As a recent article by Matthew LaMar of Royals Review highlighted, Kansas City has the lowest surplus trade value in the majors, a fact that hinders trading in this modern market. The KC Royals simply do not have the assets to trade for pitchers; other franchises might consider them starters right now. While they may be able to obtain pitches on the free agent market, they only have about $30 million available. That is not going to buy them much.

Therefore, in order for Kansas City to improve its pitching depth, it will have to mine the ranks of the minors as well as search through cast-off veterans, perhaps even stocking up on injured pitchers in order to build a team that can compete in 2025 and after. This means identifying teams that have a large number of minor-league pitchers or are carrying a lot of injured veterans. Could Pittsburgh be that team?

The KC Royals could dive into Pittsburgh's deep pitcher pool

Former Royals manager Ned Yost once joked about the third base tree in Kansas City or the lack thereof. Well, unlike Kansas City's third base tree, Pittsburgh does have a large pool of pitchers. MLB's 2023 Prospect Rankings of the Pirates featured 12 pitchers among their top 15 prospects. Pittsburgh has called a few of these prospects up, such as starter Mike Burrows, but most of their top prospects remain in the minors following the season.

In the Royals' favor, Pittsburgh has taken some hits to their major league roster due to Tommy Johns injuries. One of these injured pitchers could be a potential trade target for the Royals to stash with eyes on competing in 2025. Pittsburgh, in need of starting pitchers now, could consider Brady Singer a viable 2024 option. Singer is entering his second arbitration year and will be progressively more expensive over the next three seasons. The Pirates could be a good landing spot.

Michael Kennedy throws like a veteran college pitcher

If sustainability is truly their goal, the Royals must prepare for a competitive window that extends well past 2025. The Royals have drafted poorly for years, leaving the cupboard bare. Even in recent years, the draft has not been their friend, as very few draft picks have resulted in major league starters. Taking advantage of young players identified by other teams' scouts is one way they might add to their depth. One young prospect who fits that mold is 19-year-old Michael Kennedy.

Kennedy is currently in Low-A ball at Bradenton. The Pirates drafted him 110th overall in the 2022 draft. He has quickly climbed the ranks to the position of the Pirates' 11th-rated prospect, and for good reason: this kid can pitch. Kennedy wrapped up his debut professional season with a 1.11 WHIP, starting seven games.

He's young and needs time, but he has college-level command and a workman-like approach, similar to Royals' starter Kris Bubic. He possesses three very good pitches that all generate bad contact, and like Bubic, Kennedy could be a pitcher who makes the majors very quickly due to his simplistic style and solid command. Kennedy would be a great tack-on if the Royals were able to convince the Pirates to trade a young pitcher.

Anthony Solometo would be a smart trade for Kansas City.

The Pirates under-slotted with their first pick of the 2021 draft, allowing them to spend up on three high school pitchers with their next three picks. The first of those high schoolers was Anthony Solometo. Solometo is a 20-year-old, 6-foot-5-inch left-handed starting pitcher currently at Double-A Altoona in the Pirates system.

He is, as of December 2023, the Pirates' 4th-ranked prospect. As such, this is a pitching prospect that would require a significant investment from Kansas City. With that said, he could be ready for the majors by mid-2024 and certainly by Opening Day 2025, just in time for the Royals' competitive window to open.

What is there to like about Solometo? Much like Oviedo, he does a great job of keeping the baseball in the ballpark. He finished his 2023 minor league season by surrendering only eight home runs in 24 starts. His WHIP across High-A and Double-A was an incredible 1.19. Scouting reports suggest he has superior command and will likely do well locating in the majors. There's a pretty good chance Solometo could enjoy a short stint at Triple-A or even leap to the majors.

Solometo's delivery features an unusual arm motion, similar to Madison Bumgarner, which can deceive batters. He also employs a dramatic leg kick which adds to this deception. He is very good at replicating this motion from pitch to pitch, obscuring what he is throwing. His motion is important because he isn't relying on velocity.

His four-seam fastball sits in the 90-92 mph range but comes with some sink that will result in a high GB% in the majors. He throws a dramatic slider (82 mph) with hard-cutting action that is a very difficult pitch to hit and he is developing a circle change-up that should help to fool hitters sitting on his slower fastball. This pitch assortment, his deceptive technique, and the high groundball rate would fit right at home in Kauffman Stadium.