The Royals bolstered their bullpen with the acquisition of a right-hander Hunter Harveyas the Nationals announced that Harvey would be headed to KC for a third baseman Cayden Wallace and the Royals' Competitive Balance Round A draft pick (39th overall) in the 2024 draft. The Royals also announced the move, along with news of the right-hander Nick Anderson created for the assignment of creating space for Harvey's list.
Today's 5-0 loss to the Red Sox dropped the Royals to a 52-44 record, and a game back from Boston for the third and final AL wild card slot. Hitting .542 baseball is already an impressive step forward for a 106-game losing team in 2023, but Kansas City clearly has eyes on turning around some recent struggles. The Royals started the season 39-26, but have since stumbled to a 13-18 mark in their last 31 games, and relief relief has been a big reason for the slide.
The KC bullpen ranks third-lowest in baseball in several major categories, including 22nd in bullpen ERA (4.30). James McArthur converted 17 of 21 save chances but has been shaky, and the Royals' relief lineup lacks both speed and hitting ability. Recent reports suggested that Kansas City was looking at the bullpen as a top need heading into the trade deadline, even before the Royals' pressing need for an outfield upgrade.
Harvey and his 97.8mph fastball provide a lot of zip right away in the Royals bullpen, and Harvey also has an above-average strikeout and average walk over his 45 innings this season out of the Washington bullpen. Although he has a 4.20 ERA, Harvey's SIERA is 2.99, as a .325 BABIP has contributed to making Harvey's primary results an inadequate reflection of his pitching quality.
Selected 22nd overall by the Orioles in the 2013 draft, Harvey garnered top-100 attention before various injuries threatened to derail his career before it even got off the ground. He had a 3.42 ERA over 23 2/3 innings and 26 appearances in Baltimore during the 2019-21 seasons, but the Giants said he was fired in November 2021, and Harvey then moved to Washington on another waiver claim just before the start of the campaign. -2022.
This time with the Nationals has allowed Harvey to establish himself as an MLB-caliber strong arm, even if he has flown under the radar during the team's rebuild. Harvey has a 3.17 ERA, 27.8% strikeout rate, and 6.4% walk rate in 145 innings for DC, working mostly as a setup man but with 10 saves in his book in 2023 . Hard contact is a huge red flag in Harvey's arsenal, but he did a great job of keeping this hard contact from translating into home runs. A move to the open Kauffman Stadium could help the 29-year-old Harvey in this regard.
Harvey is making a salary of $2.35MM this season in his second final year of arbitration eligibility, so the Royals also control him through the end of the 2025 campaign. This extra year of control has made Harvey an intriguing player to watch when the July 30 deadline comes around, and both Harvey and the Nats are getting closer. Kyle Finnegan (and controlled until 2025) cracked the top 15 on MLBTR's latest list of top 50 trades. Since teams typically have to pay more to complete deals before the deadline, that factor along with Harvey's extra years of control and the Royals' eagerness to quickly fix their bullpen struggles combined to give Washington an excellent return.
The rebuilding Nationals remain within striking distance of the NL wild card race, but today's trade leaves no doubt that the Nats will remain on their expected path as sellers heading into the deadline. That doesn't mean Washington might not want players to help them compete starting in 2025, and Wallace might fit that category, as he's currently in his second season of Double-A ball.
A second-round pick of the Royals in the 2022 draft, Wallace is hitting .282/.350/.427 over 140 plate appearances at Double-A Northwest Arkansas this season, but has been slowed by both an oblique strain and a concussion. IL stint for broken rib. The injury slowed his development, but MLB Pipeline still ranks Wallace as the second-best prospect in Kansas City's farm system, and Baseball America ranked him fifth on the Royals' preseason roster. Both scouting reports rate him as a good defensive player with the ability to stay at third base thanks to a strong throwing arm, and Wallace has a good approach at the plate and a solid swing. He has the most obvious power forward yet, so Pipeline and BA view Wallace as a gap hitter with some upside as he develops.
Trading a “first-third-of-the-future” candidate like Wallace serves as a testament to the Royals' faith Michael Garcia at least in the short term, though Kansas City may now be looking for some help at a hot corner down the road — perhaps as soon as tomorrow's draft. As noted by Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com, the Nationals have now given themselves some depth at third base for the future, with Wallace joining. Homes in Brady (ranked by Pipeline as the 44th best prospect in all of baseball) and Yohandy Morales at the minor league level. This could be a residual position for the Nationals in the coming years, if they return to contention and start moving their hopes inward for the many veterans who are now successful.
Competitive Balance Round picks are the only types of draft picks that can be traded, and as such are some of the most valuable trade chips in all of baseball. Any team can trade a CBR pick, but since small-market and low-income teams are the only clubs eligible for these bonus picks in the first place, trades involving picks are relatively rare, given that adding talent through the draft is such a thing. a certain number of small users of the game. Still, today's trade marks CBR's third pick in the 2024 draft changing hands — the Brewers received the 34th overall pick from the Orioles as part Corbin Burns trade, when the White Sox received the 68th pick (in CBR Round B) as part of the deal that sent Gregory Santos to the Mariners.
The Royals picked sixth overall in tomorrow's draft, and now won't pick again until the second round (41st overall). The Nationals now have three picks among the first 44 picks, with their new CBR pick sandwiched between their first and second round slots.
Anderson came to the Royals in a trade with the Braves last November, as Kansas City was interested in seeing the former Rays bullpen ace regain form after three injury-plagued seasons. Over 34 2/3 innings for the Royals this season, Anderson has a 4.15 ERA and is not exactly a path to secondary metrics, as he has posted a 10.1% walk rate and an 18.1% strikeout rate.
Anderson is making $1.575MM this season, and is arb controlled until 2025, which could add appeal to any club interested in adding bullpen depth via a waiver claim. Anderson is now past the five-year MLB service limit for being on the Royals' active roster for the entire season, and will retain his entire 2024 salary if he clears waivers and becomes a free agent.
Source link
