Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds swap left-handed pitchers in trade
The Kansas City Royals made the first significant shift to their major-league roster this spring with a trade that sent left-handed veteran starting pitcher Mike Minor and cash considerations to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for left-handed reliever Amir Garrett on Wednesday morning.
Garrett, 29, will bolster the Royals bullpen that already includes a high-velocity left-hander in Jake Brentz. The 6-foot-5 Garrett, a former two-sport standout who reportedly drew interest from the University of Kansas as a basketball recruit, features a fastball that averaged 94.8 mph last season.
Garrett has been a staple of the Reds bullpen since 2018 after debuting in 2017. He made 60 appearances or more in 2018, 2019 and 2021. He pitched in 21 games during the pandemic-shortened 60-game season of 2020.
“We had intentions from the very beginning of the offseason to address our bullpen,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “Amir is a guy that we had our eyes on in October. We’d been talking to Cincinnati at that time. It just took a while to get it taken care of. It’s a power left-hander. It’s a guy that’s got a lot of experience. It’s going to help us build our pitching staff out from the back end.”
In 235 career appearances, Garrett has recorded a 5.10 ERA with 10.5 strikeouts per 9, 4.8 walks per 9, 1.432 WHIP and a .239 batting average against. He’s held left-handed hitters to a .219 batting average and a .327 on-base percentage against him.
Last season, he posted a 6.04 ERA with 61 strikeouts, 29 walks, a 1.57 WHIP and a .249 opponent’s batting average in 63 appearances.
From 2018-2020, Garrett posted a 3.60 ERA with 11.5 strikeouts per 9 innings and a 2.6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Garrett, who made a salary of $1.5 million last year, is arbitration eligible this season and is under club control through 2023.
“J.J. and I had an opportunity to talk to him on the phone, and he’s excited,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “Sometimes getting a new jersey on, an opportunity in a new city [is good]. He could hear our excitement, and we could hear his. I know he’s ready. He said, ‘I want to be there today.’ He’s trying to figure out how to get over here and get his pen in today.”
Garrett has a penchant for being demonstrative on the mound, and he has drawn attention for his fiery demeanor on the mound and several on-field altercations, including bench-clearing fights with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs. In once instance he charged at the Pirates dugout, taking on an entire team without hesitation.
The Royals’ brass apparently welcomes his intensity.
“He’s a competitor,” Picollo said. “I think you guys know what I’m talking about. He likes to compete. You need that. You need a little fire. You need somebody who wants to compete. I think other people will feed off of that.”
Matheny, who has a fiery streak of his own, won’t bat an eye about intensity on the mound.
“You want guys to be themselves,” Matheny said. “One thing I think has happened through the addition of so much technology is it has taken a lot of emotion out of the game. I think our fans want to see the emotion of our guys, whether that’s celebrating or the frustration of defeat and struggle certain guys wear that on their sleeve.”
Minor, who turned 34 in December, led the pitching staff in starts (28), strikeouts (149) and innings pitched (158 2/3). His nine quality starts were tied for the second most behind only Brady Singer.
The Royals signed Minor two a two-year free-agent deal prior to last season. He was slated to make $10 million this season with a $13 million option for 2023.
“It hurts to lose Mike,” Picollo said. “He’s a professional. He’s done a great job for us. The innings he gave us last year are going to be tough to replace. At the same time, it’s an area of depth for us and we think we can handle it.”
This story was originally published March 16, 2022 at 12:54 PM.
