Royals Rumors: MLB.com predicts Greg Holland will sign with Seattle

Greg Holland will be one of the biggest names amongst the Royals rumors this offseason.

Tim Dierkes of MLB.com put together a list of the 50 best free agents this offseason and where they might end up signing for the 2021 season. The Kansas City Royals weren’t linked to any of those players, but Greg Holland, who pitched for them in 2020, made an appearance.

Dierkes predicted that Holland would sign with the Seattle Mariners on a one-year deal worth $5 million. It’d obviously be nice if the Royals could find a way to bring Holland back, but their bullpen would likely be okay moving forward without him. Here’s what Dierkes had to say about his prediction,

"Aside from an oblique strain, it was an excellent bounceback season for Holland as he struck out nearly 28% of batters faced and walked a career-best 6.3%.  He didn’t rate particularly well in Statcast measures, but Holland’s 2020 results and closer reputation may be enough for a two-year deal."

The two-year deal is interesting to think about, but with Holland turning 35 this month and being wildly inconsistent the past few years, a one-year deal is the safer bet. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Royals did make some kind of play at keeping him in Kansas City, but his age and other needs for this team might deter them from going that route.

Royals rumors might be a bit slow this offseason, but Greg Holland will be the most popular Royal in free agency.

Holland is always going to beloved by Royals fans for what he did for the team during their relevant years. The organization gave him a chance to bounce back this year and he did just that, finishing the season with a 1.91 ERA and six saves through 28.1 innings. He’s deserving of at least a one-year “prove it” deal and if he does sign with Seattle, he’d be joining a bullpen that finished the regular season as the third worst in the league.

The Mariners have more of a use for Holland moving forward and the Royals have a fair share of options for their bullpen. Josh Staumont greatly impressed, Scott Barlow was terrific, Jesse Hahn pleasant surprised, and former first round pick Kyle Zimmer had his bright spots as well. Throw in that Jakob Junis will likely be heading to the bullpen in 2020 and the unit looks promising for 2021 and beyond.

Greg Holland should be in high demand this offseason after the impressive season he had for the Kansas City Royals in 2020 and it’s much deserved.