LATEST NEWS

Dec. 6: RHP Dylan Coleman traded to Astros for Minor League pitcher Carlos Mateo
Kansas City entered Wednesday with a full 40-man roster, but with the No. 2 pick in the Rule 5 Draft that afternoon, there was interest in clearing space to potentially make a selection. A deal came to fruition in the late morning, with the Royals trading Coleman to the Astros for Minor League right-hander Mateo, a 19-year-old who spent last season with the Astros’ Rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate, logging just 8 2/3 innings. The Royals remain interested in acquiring pitching for their Major League roster, and one way to do that is through the Rule 5 Draft. Now, they have a spot open.

Coleman, 27, allowed 19 runs (18 earned) in 18 1/3 relief innings across 23 games for the Royals in ’23, spending most of the season with Triple-A Omaha working on his command. Despite having big stuff, including a 100 mph fastball and a biting slider, Coleman has struggled to command it, leading to a 19.8% walk rate last year in the big leagues and a 21.8% rate in Triple-A.

Coleman, who is from the St. Louis area and was originally drafted in the fourth round by the Padres in 2018, has one option remaining for next year. He spent the early part of the offseason working with Tread Athletics to try to fine-tune his delivery. Now, he’ll get another shot with the Astros.

Dec. 6: RHP Matt Sauer selected from the Yankees in the Rule 5 Draft
Sauer, ranked New York’s No. 25 prospect by MLB Pipeline, has some injury history (he missed time this season with lower body injuries) but also carries the swing-and-miss that the Royals are looking for with an 11.3 K/9 and a 3.42 ERA in 68 1/3 innings at Double-A Somerset in 2023. Read more >>

Nov. 17: LHP Austin Cox, RHP Josh Staumont, C Logan Porter, OF Diego Hernandez non-tendered, become free agents
Cox, Staumont and Porter had already been removed from the 40-man roster by being designated for assignment in the past few days, but they officially became free agents on Friday, along with Hernandez, the Royals’ No. 15 prospect on MLB Pipeline. Hernandez, 22, was protected from the Rule 5 Draft last offseason but isn’t close to the Majors, and he missed time with a shoulder injury this past season. The Royals could try to sign him to a Minor League deal to keep him in the organization.

The Royals tendered contracts to their arbitration-eligible players, including right-handers Brady Singer and Carlos Hernández, lefty Kris Bubic and outfielder Edward Olivares. Tendering contracts is the first step in the arbitration process; these players now have until mid-January to negotiate salaries with the Royals or risk going to a hearing to determine which side wins the case.

Nov. 17: LHP Josh Taylor agrees to 2024 contract, avoiding arbitration
The Royals pre-tendered Taylor ahead of the deadline to tender contracts to 40-man roster players on Friday, and according to a source, the lefty reliever will make $1.1 million in 2024. That’s a figure below what projections had him at, which allows the Royals to move some money around while keeping him on the roster.

Taylor, the player the Royals acquired from the Red Sox for shortstop Adalberto Mondesi last offseason, only appeared in 17 games (17 2/3 innings) in ’23 before being shut down first with a shoulder injury and then season-ending surgery that involved a herniated disk in his lumbar spine (lower back). But he’s expected to be healthy and ready for Spring Training while looking to earn a spot in the Royals bullpen.

Nov. 17: Royals acquire RHP Kyle Wright from Braves for RHP Jackson Kowar
The Royals and Braves swapped a pair of former first-round MLB Draft picks on Friday. Wright, 28, will likely miss all of 2024 after undergoing shoulder surgery this year, but he’s only a year removed from leading the Majors in wins (21) while posting a 3.19 ERA for the Braves in 2022. Wright was the fifth overall pick in the 2017 Draft and is arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason.