The Kansas City Royals made a small splash on Wednesday, signing reliever Carlos Estévez to a free-agent contract. The deal is worth up to $33 million across three years. The move helps the Royals to deepen their bullpen. More depth is always necessary, especially when it comes to pitching. However, the Royals bullpen was already in good shape ahead of the 2025 season. Could the addition of Estévez signal another move on the horizon for the Royals? It’s not uncommon for that to be the thought process following a move for the Royals. General Manager J.J. Picollo has stated a desire to add to the team’s outfield. Yet, to this point nearly in February, the starting outfield remains largely unchanged from a year ago.

Could a deeper bullpen signal a looming addition for the Royals as the offseason closes?

One thing is certain with the addition of a new big leaguer to the Royals’ 40-man roster: another roster move will be on the way. Clearing space could come relatively easily by designating another arm for assignment. In that regard, Jonathan Bowlan or Chris Stratton may make some sense. Stratton less so, thanks to a $4 million salary hit in 2025. Position players could be used to clear space as well, although that may be less likely. Nick Pratto and Dairon Blanco could find themselves on the shortlist.

Another possible outcome could be a trade. There have been a handful of rumors linking the Royals to trade talks all offseason. Much of the news around adding a middle-of-the-order bat has been that such a move will likely come via trade rather than free agency. Names including Nolan Arenado and Starling Marte have cropped up at times. Back in December, reports were that Kansas City had received trade interest in lefty Angel Zerpa. With another proven back-end reliever added, more flexibility exists to make that happen.

Trading Zerpa alone likely wouldn’t be enough to make an impactful trade happen. However, pairing him with MJ Melendez or Maikel Garcia could make sense. The farm system factors in as well. Pairing Zerpa with some mixture of Ben Kudrna, Carter Jensen, Chandler Champlain, or others could be a path forward. Losing any of those three wouldn’t be an easy trade to stomach, but if it means adding a true impact bat, the Royals should certainly consider it. Who might make sense?

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays have already added to their bullpen this winter. Jeff Hoffman, Yimi Garcia, and Nick Sandlin have all been added. Still, the Blue Jays have just three arms in their current pen that were worth positive fWAR in 2024. Those three were worth a combined 2.5 fWAR, including 2.0 coming from Hoffman alone. Star shortstop Bo Bichette enters the final year of team control in 2025. Could the Blue Jays look to re-tool as they plan for both Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to hit the market next winter?

The lack of control could make Bichette less expensive, even if he will still be costly. Maikel Garcia and Angel Zerpa are good starting points. Garcia could help slot in at shortstop for Toronto, leaving third base open for top prospect Orelvis Martinez. Zerpa gives Toronto the needed boost in their bullpen. It would take more, however. Rounding out the trade with Carter Jensen or Ramon Ramirez might make a deal work. Although, Ramirez is the better outcome for Kansas City. It’s probably a daydream scenario, but adding Bichette to man third base would be the slam dunk these Royals need.

Chicago Cubs

Chicago has a fantastic starting rotation and an impressive lineup. The only thing keeping them from making a deep run in 2025 may very well be the team’s bullpen. Caleb Thielbar and Ryan Pressley have been relief additions this winter. ZiPS projections don’t dislike the ‘pen, projecting 3.6 zWAR in total. The group was worth 2.7 collective fWAR in 2024. The top three of the team’s pen appear strong, but an addition like Zerpa could deepen the group.

Again, Kansas City’s system depth at catcher is a glaring opportunity to trade from strength. What becomes more difficult in evaluating a trade with Chicago is finding what the Royals could hope to receive back. The Cubs are ready to compete, meaning dealing from their big league roster seems difficult to work. After already moving Cody Bellinger, the previous talk around unloading Seiya Suzuki’s contract seems highly unlikely. Pete Crow-Armstrong isn’t going anywhere, and Nico Hoerner makes little sense for the Royals who are already second-base heavy.

Instead, Kevin Alcántara seems worth considering. He’s the team’s top prospect and slashed .278/.353/.428 between Double-A and Triple-A last season. He made a brief MLB debut in 2024 and seems ready for The Show. If the Cubs think Alcántara is going to be impactful enough, it could open a door for Suzuki or Happ to be available for the right (steep) price. Could Zerpa, Jensen, and Cross net Ian Happ? Would the Cubs deal Alcántara and his years of control in exchange for a bullpen upgrade and Jensen? Either option could be a good match for the Royals.

Los Angeles Angels

The Angels have made some interesting additions this winter, including Jorge Soler, Yusei Kikuchi, Kyle Hendricks, and Travis d’Arnaud. Even with the team’s handful of additions, the bullpen appears to be middling at best. ZiPS projects the group at 3.7 zWAR. The group combined to be worth 1.7 fWAR in 2024, led heavily by Ben Joyce. Joyce was worth 0.6 fWAR in just 34.2 IP. The Angels are retooling but hardly seem ready to truly compete. Rumors have long swirled that outfielder Taylor Ward could be available.

Angel Zerpa and Chandler Champlain could be a starting point in talks, but it would likely take more to net a talent like Ward. The Angels don’t offer many other realistic, impactful options beyond Ward except Luis Rengifo and perhaps Jo Adell. Adell’s concerning offensive metrics make him less appealing, but with no options remaining the Angels could be willing to move him for less than one might think. The Angels make sense as a trade partner from their end, but it’s difficult to see how the two teams match up on a Ward trade. Personally, trading the prospect capital it would cost doesn’t seem worth it.