The Kansas City Royals have bolstered their rotation going into 2021. They have added left-hander Mike Minor to the roster pending a physical. The deal is for multiple years, but the financial terms are not known at this time. Jeff Passan of ESPN first broke the news late Sunday evening.
Left-handed starter Mike Minor and the Kansas City Royals are in agreement on a multiyear deal that is pending a physical, sources tell ESPN. @Ken_Rosenthal had the agreement first.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 30, 2020
Royals Sign Mike Minor
The 32-year-old Minor had a mediocre 2020. He started the year with the Texas Rangers before moving to the Oakland Athletics via trade. He threw 56 2/3 innings with a 5.56 ERA, 62 strikeouts and 20 walks. It seems as though Minor was a victim of some bad luck as his 4.64 FIP was better than the actual results. It’s possible that the new Texas ballpark had some effect on his results on top of the randomness that came with a short season. His underlying numbers were quite fine otherwise. A 25.9% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate were both in the top 25 for starters with at least 50 innings pitched.
This will be his second stint with the Royals. He pitched well in 65 games with them in 2017 after missing two full seasons due to injuries. The Atlanta Braves originally drafted and signed Minor in the first round of the 2009 Amateur Draft, and he’s been a reliable pitcher when healthy since his debut in 2010. He has 1152 1/3 innings with 71 wins, a 3.98 ERA and FIP and 1,048 strikeouts.
His best year came in 2019 with the Rangers. Minor won 14 games in 32 starts while pitching in over 200 innings. He received an All-Star nod and down-ballot Cy Young award votes. The veteran lefty may be slowing down; his average fastball velocity fell to just 90.6 MPH in 2020, but increased slider and breaking ball usage seems like enough to keep him viable for the moment.
Where He First on Kansas City’s Roster
Minor could be a great veteran signing for a rebuilding Royals pitching staff. He could pitch anywhere from third in the rotation to fifth. Kansas City has promising young arms like Brad Keller and Brady Singer on the rise, but Minor is just the sort of experienced starter many teams like to have on their staff.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
