According to Royals beat writer Anne Rogers, the Royals will target bullpen upgrades this offseason. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. One pitcher I believe the team should target is Brooks Raley. Raley had decent numbers with Houston last season. The 33-year-old posted a 4.78 ERA in 58 games with 65 strikeouts. During the 2021 season, Raley struckout 35 lefties and 30 righties equaling his 65 punch outs. Raley turns 34 next June, so I think he might have one or two more good years in him. Kansas City is looking to compete for the playoffs this upcoming season, giving me the impression that they might not be scared to spend money in free agency, especially on the bullpen. While I believe Raley would be a good fit in the Royals bullpen, they wouldn’t have to give him a pricey contract. In my opinion, I believe the Royals could get him to sign a major league contract, and it’s important to point out that he has three years of arbitration remaining following the end of the 2022 season. The next question would be, how would he fit in the bullpen? The answer is quite simple if you ask me because he checks off many of the boxes the Royals are looking for in a reliever. The Royals aren’t too concerned about whether a reliever is right-handed or left-handed. Raley throws left-handed, and it’s always good to have a few left-handers in a team’s bullpen. Raley would also provide a veteran presence in a youthful Royals bullpen, and he’s a guy who can pitch back to back games if needed. Finally, Raley could also turn into a possible trade chip for the Royals if the team is out of playoff contention. Teams would love to pick up a guy with Raley’s postseason experience with the Astros the past two seasons. As a Royals fan, I would consider Raley as a potential free agent option for the team in 2022.
