5 Royals Leaving Kansas City in the New Year
By Joe Summers
3. Taylor Clarke - RP
The Royals traded Clarke to the Brewers to clear space on the roster, ending a once-exciting tenure that blew up in flames towards the end of the season.
Clarke had a 0.71 ERA in 12 appearances in May, then promptly fell off the rails. He posted a 9.00 ERA in June with a 10.45 mark in July before spending time on the injured list and ending with an 8.68 ERA in September.
Nice slider from Royals opener Taylor Clarke to strike out Shohei Ohtani in Ohtani's first at-bat of the night. pic.twitter.com/s3wAIH0cqT
— Adrian Garro (@adriangarro) April 22, 2023
There were still big moments for Clarke in a Royals uniform and it's possible he puts together a nice year for the Brewers, though his penchant for losing command in big moments makes him difficult to trust.
He ultimately spent parts of two seasons with the Royals. After adding proven relievers like Will Smith in an effort to overhaul the bullpen, Clarke was a logical candidate to squeeze off the roster.
While he represents a missed opportunity in that the Royals didn't trade him when his value peaked, the decision to jettison Clarke does indicate the organization won't stick by underwhelming players too long.
In my eyes, that's a positive development.