Two veteran pitchers sign minor-league contracts with Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals have added veteran Brad Peacock, who has significant playoff experience as well as a track record as both a relief pitcher and a starter in the majors, on a low-risk deal.
The Royals announced they’d signed Peacock, 34, to a minor-league free-agent contract on Tuesday morning. Peacock’s deal will pay him $1.5 million if he’s in the majors plus additional performance bonuses, according a source with knowledge of the deal.
Major-league transactions remain frozen during the ongoing MLB lockout.
Peacock pitched primarily in the minors for the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox last season after shoulder surgery the previous offseason. He appeared in just two major-league games in 2021 for the Red Sox, and he allowed nine earned runs in 5 1/3 innings.
A right-hander who has spent parts of 10 seasons in the majors, Peacock has a 34-31 record with a 4.11 ERA, 1.305 WHIP, a 9.5 strikeouts per 9 innings and 2.45-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 183 games (84 starts).
He helped the Astros win the World Series in 2017 and they returned in 2019. The 2017 championship was later tainted in the eyes of many by the sign-stealing scandal that aided Astros hitters.
Peacock could potentially provide versatility and depth for a pitching staff that will rely heavily on young inexperienced starting pitchers.
Peacock, a 41st-round draft pick of the Washington Nationals out of high school in 2006, ranked among the top prospects in baseball in 2012 (No. 36 on Baseball America’s list).
The Nationals traded him to the Oakland Athletics prior to the 2012 season as part of the deal that brought left-hander Gio Gonzalez to the Nationals. In February 2013, the Athletics traded him to the Houston Astros as part of the deal that sent shortstop Jed Lowrie to the Athletics.
His best season as a starter came in 2017 when he went 13-2 in 21 starts (34 games) with a 3.00 ERA, 161 strikeouts and 57 walks in 132 innings. He posted a 1.19 WHIP and 11 strikeouts per 9 that season.
Peacock made 15 starts (23 games) in 2019 with a 7-6 record and a 4.12 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP and 9.4 strikeouts per 9. He made just three appearances, all in relief, in 2020 prior to his shoulder surgery.
He signed with Cleveland in June 2021, and was traded to the Red Sox for cash in August. His two appearances in the majors for the Red Sox came in late August and early September.
Royals add Mengden
Tuesday afternoon, the Royals also announced they agreed to a minor-league free-agent contract with right-handed pitcher Daniel Mengden, a fourth-round pick of the Houston Astros in 2014.
Mengden, 29, spent the past five seasons with the Oakland Athletics and went 17-20 with a 4.64 ERA in 48 starts and 12 relief appearances prior to spending last season pitching in South Korea.
He made 21 starts for the Kia Tigers in South Korea and tossed 120 innings.
The Royals’ front office had always intended to add veteran options into the mix this offseason.
Many of the young starters have demonstrated intriguing ability, but also haven’t logged full seasons as starters in the majors.
This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 2:10 PM.
