The deadline to tender players with club control just passed on November 22nd. Before the deadline the Royals made a deal to get Jonathan India and Joey Wiemer for Brady Singer. After this trade the needs for the Royals have been made pretty clear after acquiring the leadoff hitter they wanted. Piccolo had mentioned that they want to add some power in the middle of the order and I also think there will be some interest in a bullpen arm as well. After the deadline several very talented players hit the open market and so let’s look at the Royals potential new options on the market…
Kyle Finnegan RP
Finnegan hitting the open market was an absolute shock to me and I was stunned to see him go non-tendered by the Nationals. Finnegan was the closer for the Nationals and finished the year with the 3rd most saves in major league baseball with 38 saves in 43 opportunities. Finnegan has been consistent over the last few years with the Nationals and has kept his ERA around 3.5 to 3.75 over the last 4 years and was even an all star in 2024. He is only 33 and could be the veteran presence that the Royals are looking for in the bullpen in leverage spots.
Finnegan is a similar pitcher to Hunter Harvey with the constant treatment of the hard fastball over 65% of the time. Finnegan has a similar pitch mix to Harvey as well, pairing his quality fastball with a splitter and slider. The fastball sits around 97 and is firm with good extension and is a quality pitch, but he struggles with command at times. He has a good splitter and is primarily a two pitch guy but mixes in a slider as needed but rarely.
Finnegan has struggled with command and walks this year which became costly at times in big moments. Finnegan gives up a lot of hard contact which is also a concern. He ranks in the bottom 2 percent average exit velocity and hard hit percentage. Finnegan doesn’t have incredible advanced numbers, but he has a history of pitching in high leverage situations and having success. I think he is a fit for the Royals and while he may not have the closer role in Kansas City, he is a veteran who can help the young members of the pen and be a quality pitcher in high leverage spots.
Jordan Romano RP
Romano is another guy that was a really shocking player who went non-tendered this weekend. Romano was the closer for the Blue Jays and had 36 saves in 2022 and 2023 but struggled to find the field in 2024 with an elbow injury and was shut down in early July. The injury is the primary question with Romano but if the Royals staff feels that he is healthy and can get to 100%, I think he could bring that veteran presence to the Royals bullpen.
Romano is a player with loads of experience in leverage spots and if healthy could be one of the best in the game. He is a very simple pitcher who has a two pitch mix of an upper 90s fastball and a hard upper 80s slider with good vertical dip to it. At 6’5 Romano gets incredible extension on his pitches and in 2023 he has the best extension numbers in baseball. This makes his fastball and slider play faster than they actually are as he has good deception, making it hard to pick up on his pitches. He has been high in K rate as well which is what the Royals need in the pen as well, which makes me see Romano as a fit. I think the main question for him is the injury and his health, but if the Royals feel he is or can be 100% at some point in 2025, I think he’s worth a chance.
Hoby Miller RP
Hoby Miller is a guy I am interested in mostly because of the potential he has with his interesting pitching style. A true sidewinder, Miller throws from a -3 degree arm slot, making him a unique pitcher in the major leagues and hard to pick up on. In 2023, Miller was one of the better relievers in baseball with a lot of great advanced metrics and an ERA of 1.82 and was one of the best pitchers in baseball at forcing soft contact and ground balls.
His pitch mix is nothing insane but has unique movement due to his sidewinder approach. His primary and best pitch is his sweeper that gets about 18 inches of horizontal movement when he is on and is one of the hardest pitches to get the barrel on in all of baseball. He pairs the big breaking ball with a sinker, four-seam fastball and changeup. His fastballs sit high 80s but isnt too concerning due to the arm angle and precision around the zone when Miller is on.
Miller is 33 and only has 3 years of service time, and has lacked consistency, but his play style is unique and his ability to force soft contact would be great in Kauffman where it’s even harder to get the ball over the fence. He forces ground balls at a high rate and with the Royals defense, that is another plus for him. He attacks the zone and rarely walks hitters, which is a philosophy the Royals staff preached last year. With his great season in 2023 he might be a guy the Royals look at to boost the bullpen going into 2025.
Brent Honeywell P
Honeywell spent the last few seasons with the Dodgers where he flashed signs of success but really struggled to remain consistent. Once the top prospect in the Rays farm system and one of their key names in the farm throughout the late 2010s. He moved up and through the farm quickly with his unique pitch mix and strong ability to throw strikes.
Honeywell throws a mid 90s fastball that can pick up higher at times but typically sits around 94. His unique pitch is his screwball, an 81 MPH pitch that is a heavy dipping off-speed pitch. He also mixes in a quality slider that has good lateral break across the zone and can be a swing and miss put away pitch when he’s on his game.
In 2024 Honeywell found success with a 2.63 ERA over 37.2 innings as well as some time in the playoffs. Picking up Honeywell is more of a gamble that you can capitalize on his former prospect profile and potential. He is only 29 and has the potential to be a quality reliever should the Royals consider adding him for 2025.
Connor Joe 1B/OF
Joe was a guy who I have seen listed as a potential leadoff guy for the Royals if they struck out on some other guys. Coming off a difficult year to say the least in 2024, Joe is looking to bounce back and flash the skills we saw from him in 2023. At the plate, Joe is known for his eye and ability to take pitches and make hitters fight for an out. He doesn’t chase pitches, has a good walk rate and an average K rate.
Joe found some power in 2023 where he flashed his ability at the plate with 11 HRs and 102 hits. 2023 looked like a breakout year for him after he was a top 40 draft pick in 2014. Hes a decent fielder with a big arm and can play 1st, LF and RF as needed and is above average out there. IF the Royals are looking to add depth, and someone who can get on base, Joe could be an option on a short term cheap deal.
Jon Berti UTIL
Berti is maybe the most likely guy that I think the Royals are most likely to have interest in. Berti is that type of super utility player that every team needs and is the type of player that the Royals have proven to like. He doesn’t strikeout often and likes to put the ball in play to utilize his speed and get on base.
Defensively, Berti can play every defensive spot but catcher which is something that the Royals have shown interest in. He has great range in the OF and has a decent arm to make it happen. Quatraro loves guys he can plug into the lineup as needed and if he signs with the Royals, you can expect him to play the Garrett Hampson role in 2025. Berti has a good glove, utility value, puts the ball in play and is one of the fastest players on the bases. I think the Royals should give him a call, feel out his value and try to add some depth across the bord.
Austin Hays OF
Only a little bit removed from an all-star year, Hays finds himself entering free agency after going non-tendered with the Phillies this weekend. The biggest thing to mention when it comes to Hays is the kidney infection he suffered in the middle of the season. He missed some time and didn’t look the same when he returned which is likely why the Phillies let him hit free agency.
The former all-star and gold glove finalist was likely to command a lot of money at arbitration and couldn’t reach an agreement with the Phillies. If Hays can return to health, he has a proven record of success at the plate and with the glove.
Hays has past success against lefties and potentially could be a platoon option with Melendez if they strike out elsewhere or are looking to save money. Hays health will be the biggest question, but if he can return to health, I think he’s worth a call.
Other Pitcher Options
Patrick Sandoval, Griffin Canning, Dillon Tate, Albert Alzolay, Royber Salinas, Jacob Webb, Enyel De Los Santos, Ian Gibaut
Other Batter Options
Jordyn Adams, Ramón Laureano, Brennen Davis, Mike Tauchman, George Valera, Josh Rojas, Sam Haggerty, Brendan Rodgers, Dylan Carlson
