Royals Rumors: Jake Diekman adds another weapon out of bullpen

Royals rumors have picked up a bit recently, as the Kansas City Royals inked reliever Jake Diekman to a one-year deal. Diekman provides a veteran presence to the Royals bullpen for 2019.

We hadn’t heard many Royals rumors throughout the winter, but in the last week, the Kansas City Royals have added two bullpen arms: Brad Boxberger last week and more recently Jake Diekman.

Diekman was signed to a one-year contract and gives this rebuilding Royals team another veteran arm to turn to in the pen. He spent 2018 with two teams, tossing 53.1 innings with an ERA between the two teams at 4.73.

His stint with the Rangers went well, as he had a 3.69 ERA in 39 innings with two saves. It wasn’t until his tenure with the Diamondbacks that Diekman struggled, posting an ugly 7.53 ERA in 14.1 innings of work in Arizona.

Some might be wondering why the Royals are adding more talent when this is going to be another rebuilding year. It doesn’t hurt, especially with Diekman on a one-year deal. At the very worst, he doesn’t pan out and the Royals didn’t spend too much money on him.

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The best case scenario is that he pitches well and the Royals can flip him in a deal at the trade deadline. He also has a mutual option for the 2020 season, so if he pitches decently and the two sides want him to return the next season, that’s a route the team can go in as well.

The bullpen was the Royals’ weakest area last season and it’s clear that Dayton Moore is trying to fix it. Diekman has seven years of major league experience, with all of his big league outings coming in relief. He’s never started a game and that’s just fine. The Royals don’t need starters, they need bullpen arms.

It will be interesting to see which names emerge over Spring Training and who ultimately makes the bullpen come Opening Day. When the Kansas City Royals had their two runs at a World Series title (winning it all in 2015), their bullpen played a huge role in getting them to that point.

Now, the organization is in rebuild mode, but that doesn’t mean they can’t find decent relievers and get back to where they were four and five seasons ago. If Diekman can help the younger guys in any way, that’s a win for the Royals.

What do you think of this signing?