3 relief reunions the Royals should definitely pursue this offseason

It’s no secret that the most volatile position in baseball is a relief pitcher. And besides maybe an NFL kicker, it could very well carry the most year-to-year uncertainty of any position in all of sports.

That’s why regardless of how good a bullpen is one year, most, if not every, team will look to make some changes to their relief corps.

That’s precisely the case for the Royals, whose bullpen looked good in 2025. They sat tied for sixth in MLB in ERA, and among the top half of league bullpens in WHIP and FIP.

But the Royals faithful will likely be the first to tell you that there are holes to fill in this rotation, whether it be an upgrade to their southpaws, a high-leverage replacement for Hunter Harvey or just more impact in the middle innings.

One way they could upgrade is using familiarity to their advantage and call upon some old friends to fill their relief voids. And there are several former Royals they could pursue in free agency this winter.

3 relief reunions the Royals should definitely pursue this offseason

RHP Brad Keller

Brad Keller is riding a stellar high at the moment after becoming one of the Chicago Cubs’ go-to arms in the late innings of the postseason, assuming the closer’s role for Craig Counsell’s bunch this month and throwing to a 1.59 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and .111 BAA.

After joining the Cubs on a minor league deal last winter, Keller went on appear in 69.2 innings of work across 68 games, pitching to a 2.07 ERA, 2.93 FIP, 0.96 WHIP and .181 BAA.

Royals fans will know Keller best as a starter, where he spent most of his six seasons as Royal as after being a Rule 5 draft pick ahead of the 2018 season. In that span he threw to a 4.27 ERA – which included a 3.08 ERA in his rookie campaign and a 2.47 ERA in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

If the Royals can pry his interest away from the Cubs, which according to reports from Patrick Mooney of The Athletic could be difficult, there’s certainly a need for a third high-leverage arm in the back of their ‘pen.

The need for closer seems to covered after Carlos Estévez led all of baseball in saves this season, but after Hunter Harvey spent a majority of the season the injured list, the Royals rotated a cast of characters to pair Lucas Erceg in the set-up role, so the need for some stability is certainly there.

RHP Jakob Junis

Kansas City might primarily be in need of a lefty, they cannot overlook the season one of their former arms had with their division rivals in Cleveland this season.

Junis became one of the Guardians’ most reliable relievers this season, pitching to a very nice 2.97 ERA and 3.45 FIP along with a serviceable 1.23 WHIP and .254 BAA.

Like Keller, Junis is best known to Royals fans as a somewhat underwhelming starter before he eventually built his career up as a reliever elsewhere. In five seasons with the Royals from 2017 to 2021, he threw to a 4.82 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 105 games (89 of which were starts).

Junis may not be able to carry the high-leverage roles that Keller could, but his ability to avoid barrels and limit walks could be instrumental in the middle innings to set up the final two to three frames.

RHP Hunter Harvey

The Royals cannot overlook the fact that their best bet to replace what they’d hope Hunter Harvey would’ve been for them, is resigning Hunter Harvey himself.

While his time with the Royals was limited in the season-and-a-half they’ve had him since last year’s trade deadline, when he’s been on the mound he’s looked spectacular.

In 16.1 total innings across 2024 and 2025, Harvey threw to a 2.20 ERA and an 1.16 WHIP. And this past season in particular, he looked borderline untouchable in 10.2 innings he threw, posting a perfect 0.00 ERA along with a 0.66 WHIP and .158 BAA.

Am I advocating for a big money deal to one of their primary set-up guys on 2026? No. But do I think a one-year “prove it” deal could be worthwhile to see if he can finally have a healthy year and put up the numbers he did? Absolutely, so long as it’s not the only bullpen move they make.