If you have followed the Royals since at least 2011, you probably remember the name Kelvin Herrera. During his seven years with the Royals, Herrera was one of the most dominant relievers in the league. Herrera’s most dominant years with the Royals were in 2015 and 2016. In 2017 he had somewhat of a bump in the road as he posted a 4.25 ERA in 59.1 innings pitched. The next season, he looked like his old self with a 1.05 ERA. That was his best era during his time with the Royals. That same season, the Royals traded Herrera to the Nationals for three prospects. After Herrera was traded to the Nationals, his career started going downhill. Even though he had an average season with the Nationals, the White Sox signed him to a two-year deal worth $18 million. That was a big mistake for the White Sox. His first season with the White Sox did not go as planned for him or the Sox as he posted a 6.14 ERA. After his first season with the White Sox, the team and Herrera were hoping for a rebound season. Unfortunately, 2020 wasn’t in Herrera’s favor at all. In 2020 Herrera posted a 15.43 ERA. Yes, you read that correctly! After only two games into the 2020 season, the White Sox released Herrera. Shortly after his release, Herrera signed a minor league deal with the Cubs in hopes of turning around his career. Unfortunately, he couldn’t, and less than three weeks later, the Cubs cut him loose. The Royals are known to sign former dominant pitchers and have hopes of trading them for a prospect or two. The most recent example of this is Trevor Rosenthal. The Royals signed Rosenthal to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training this past off-season. After Rosenthal made the team, he was lights out or close to it. On August 31, the Royals traded Rosenthal to the Padres for outfielder Edward Olivares and a player to be named later. I believe that the Royals could possibly do that with Herrera, After his past few down years, I think it’s safe to assume that Herrera could land a minor league deal. If the Royals signed Herrera, I hope he could maybe return to his dominant ways or close to it. The Royals could then trade him at the deadline in 2021; but if he can’t, they could easily cut him loose.
