In 2020, the Royals had a middle of the pack kind of bullpen in Trevor Rosenthal, Greg Holland, Scott Barlow, just to name a few. The Royals have improved their bullpen compared to the 2018 season with the 2019 and 2020 arms. I believe the Royals need to add just one free agent bullpen arm to the mix for 2021. After looking at the 2021 pitching market, I didn’t see too many bullpen arms the Royals could target except maybe a few that might fit the Royals needs. I believe Brandon Workman is a Royals type of pitching target. In 2020, Workman had an up and down season. While part of the Red Sox bullpen to start the year, he had decent numbers with a 4.05 ERA in only 6.2 innings pitched. Workman was later traded to the Phillies. During his time with the Phillies his stats didn’t get any better; they got the opposite of better. In 13 innings with the Phillies, he posted a 6.92 ERA. As a Royals fan, I can guess your questioning why I would think a guy like Workman would fit in the Royals plans for 2021. I am hoping Workman can return to his 2019 form for the Royals. I believe if he could do that for the Royals in 2021, they could possibly flip him at the trade deadline for a prospect. I believe he is in the Royals price range as well. Unlike the Wacha contract estimation, I think the Royals could get Workman on a minor league deal. The next question is where would he fit in the bullpen? I believe it’s a pretty simple answer: he would take Ian Kennedy’s spot in the pen. I believe if Workman can have a season like he did in 2018, the Royals could benefit from him. If not, they could easily cut him loose and call up a younger arm from the minors.
