Kansas City Royals: Five relief pitchers to target at trade deadline

The Kansas City Royals have somehow turned things around this season. Now they are poised to be buyers at the trade deadline and could use some bullpen help.

Somehow the impossible has been pulled off as the Kansas City Royals are now sitting at .500 and are in striking distance of taking over the AL Central. This wasn’t supposed to happen. KC was dead and buried according to all of the analysts. All they had to look forward to was a big return in selling off talent at the trade deadline. However, now the Royals may look to be buyers!

Of course, with the way the team is playing right now, it can be hard to determine just where they might be looking for help. The Royals are playing some of the best baseball in the majors right now. The lineup is hitting well and there aren’t any glaring holes in the field. The pitching has also been much better recently. Dayton Moore was right to not sell off early.

However, pitching is always a popular target. Teams looking to contend for the title are always looking to solidify the rotation and bullpen. For Kansas City, that might be especially true of relief pitching. One area that has been a bit of a struggle all year has been the bullpen.

Bullpen Options Are Plentiful

If the Royals are looking to be buyers at the trade deadline, it would make sense for Dayton Moore to look into some bullpen help. The good news here is that it is looking as though the market for relief pitchers is fairly strong.

On top of that, Kansas City has some options in how they approach the situation. The Royals can target both middle relief and closing options as Kelvin Herrera hasn’t been wholly reliable this year. KC could sign a closer and move Herrera back to his set up role. That kind of flexibility in the bullpen could be a solid advantage.