In 2021, the Royals basically have a locked starting rotation with Brad Keller, Danny Duffy, Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar, and Mike Montgomery, with 2021 being Montgomery’s last year of arbitration; but the bullpen on the other hand is a different animal. With Ian Kennedy and Greg Holland both becoming free agents this upcoming offseason, that opens up two bullpen spots. Let’s just fill in one for now. The Royals have been known to sign former dominant starters and relievers. The most recent example of this is the Rosenthal experiment. I believe that experiment passed with flying colors. The Royals were able to turn the Rosenthal signing into prospects with a trade with the Padres. I think the Royals could do the same with Shelby Miller. The past two seasons, Miller struggled mightily with the Diamondbacks and the Rangers. In 2018, Miller posted a 10.69 ERA with the Diamondbacks in only 16 innings. In 2019 however, Miller’s stats improved slightly with the Rangers. While with the Rangers, Miller posted a 8.59 ERA in 44 innings pitched. He struck out thirty batters. I believe that is a decent sample size for teams that are looking for reclamation projects, and the Royals are one of them. Miller has five pitches but only threw his changeup 19 times in 2019 according to brooksbaseball.net. His other four pitches include a four-seam fastball, curveball, cut fastball, and a sinker. But in 2019, he primarily threw his four-seam fastball and his curveball. I would like to see Miller throw his changeup a little bit more in 2021. I believe Miller would fit right in with the Royals in the eighth or ninth inning. Despite not having any closer experience, I think the Royals should give him a chance to take the closer role if they don’t bring back Holland or Rosenthal in 2021. What would Miller’s contract look like you might ask? Miller signed a minor league deal with the Brewers on July 11, 2019. With the Royals, I believe he could land a major league contract, but we will have to see. I would like to remind Royals fans that Miller will be 30 this next season, so his age won’t be an issue. The issue will be if he can return to his 2015 self, or at least close to that. If he can return to his dominant ways, I believe he could turn into a possible trade candidate for the Royals in 2021, just like Rosenthal did for the boys in blue in 2020.
