The Kansas City Royals are working hard to figure out who they should go out and get in order to improve the roster for 2026. While quite a bit of the focus from fans and analysts alike has been on the offense, KC’s bullpen needs some work as well.
If the Royals want to really compete for the playoffs next summer, they’re going to need to have at least one lockdown lefty. Two or three would be even better.
If recent rumors are true and Kris Bubic is sticking around, that allows the team to focus solely on the bullpen this winter on the pitching side of things. So what southpaws should they pursue?
Danny Coulombe’s return to the AL Central could benefit the Royals
Talk a tale of two seasons for reliever Danny Coulombe in 2025. With the Minnesota Twins, he was about as lights out as a pitcher can be, posting a 1.16 ERA in 40 outings. He also had 31 strikeouts in 31 innings.
He was traded to the Texas Rangers at the deadline, and things went south quickly. He ended up with a 5.25 ERA with the AL West team, but he also spent some time on the IL.
If Coulombe is healthy, a return to the AL Central could be just what the doctor and the Royals ordered.
Royals could keep mining former Twins with Caleb Thielbar
Speaking of coming back to the AL Central, veteran reliever Caleb Thielbar is back on the open market after having the best campaign since his rookie year back in 2017.
He may not have the personal ties to the Royals that he did a few weeks ago, now that his former coach in Zach Bove has moved on to the White Sox, but he still remains statistically one of the better left-handed options on the market.
The veteran southpaw spent all of 2025 with the Chicago Cubs, posting a 2.64 ERA in 67 appearances. That included 56 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 58 innings.
Thielbar, who spent his first eight years with the Twins, was equally effective vs. either lefty or righty batters, making him more than simply a lefty-on-lefty specialist.
Sean Newcomb could be a high-risk, high-reward signing for the Royals
Newcomb has been well traveled over the last few years, but he finally found a place where he could really nail down a spot as a lefty reliever. After an okay but far from stellar stop with Boston, he joined the Athletics and really locked in.
In 36 appearances, Newcomb posted a 1.75 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, .212 BAA and 50 strikeouts in 51.1 innings with the A’s.
What could make him the most attractive for the Royals is that his less-than-stellar nine years in the bigs might make him affordable, even if southpaw relievers can sometimes come at a premium.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source kingsofkauffman.com ’
