Speedy outfielder Jarrod Dyson, former World Series champ, close to return with Royals
Familiar faces just keep coming back to rejoin the Kansas City Royals. That’s what they do. Jarrod Dyson, the speedy outfielder who coined the phrase “That’s what speed do,” became the latest member of the back-to-back pennant-winning clubs who has agreed to come back.
The 5-foot-9, 165-pound Dyson, a 50th-round draft pick of the club in 2006 who went on to be a key part of the World Series championship team in 2015, and the Royals reached an agreement on a free-agent deal, a source confirmed.
The deal was pending a physical as of Tuesday night.
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported the deal will pay Dyson $1.5 million.
Dyson, 36, last played for the Royals in 2016. The Royals traded him to the Seattle Mariners for pitcher Nate Karns in January 2017.
From 2010 through 2016 as a member of the Royals, Dyson slashed .260/.325/.353 and stole 176 bases while being caught stealing 30 times. He hit 48 doubles and 29 triples during that stretch and appeared in 550 games with 1,365 plate appearances.
Dyson played for the Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox since his last year with the Royals.
Last season, he appeared in 21 games for the Pirates and 11 games for the White Sox after having been traded on August 28. He slashed .180/.231/.180 with five RBIs and six stolen bases in 32 games (66 plate appearances).
Dyson joins relief pitchers Greg Holland and Wade Davis as members of the clubs that went to back-to-back World Series with the Royals to rejoin the club in the past two seasons.
Left-handed starter Mike Minor and right-hander Ervin Santana are also former Royals who’ve played in other organizations and signed back with the club this offseason.
This story was originally published March 2, 2021 at 7:58 PM.
