Kansas City Royals sign former All-Star closer Trevor Rosenthal to minor-league deal
The Kansas City Royals made their first move with an eye toward bolstering a pitching staff that struggled to find consistency both in the starting rotation and bullpen last season.
They signed right-handed relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal, a native of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and a former member of the St. Louis Cardinals during Mike Matheny’s tenure as the club’s manager.
A former All-Star closer, Rosenthal, 29, agreed to a minor-league deal worth $2 million in base salary with up to an additional $2.25 million in performance bonuses for games pitched in the majors, according to a source. He’ll be a non-roster invite to big-league spring training.
Rosenthal is a graduate of Lee’s Summit West High School who went on to play at Cowley County Community College in Kansas.
The Cardinals selected him in the 21st round of the 2009 Draft, and he debuted in the majors in 2012. He recorded 45 saves in 2014 and 48 saves in his All-Star season of 2015.
The Cardinals released him following the 2017 season, a year in which he spent time on the 60-day disabled list with an elbow injury. Rosenthal had Tommy John surgery in 2017 and missed the entire 2018 season.
He signed with the Washington Nationals last November. He appeared in 12 major-league games with the Nats this season before they released him in June and he signed with the Detroit Tigers. He pitched in 10 major-league games with the Tigers, and they, too, released him in August. He finished the season pitching in the minors for the New York Yankees.
He also made a total of 17 appearances in the minors last season during his stints with the Nationals, Tigers and Yankees.
In the majors last season, Rosenthal posted a 13.50 ERA with 17 strikeouts and 26 walks while opponents batted .208 against him in 15 1/3 innings in his first major-league action since 2017. His four-seam fastball averaged 98 mph in 2019.
This story was originally published December 7, 2019 at 1:39 PM.
