Kansas City Royals acquire veteran reliever in two-player trade with Blue Jays

The Kansas City Royals have added another veteran presence to their pitching staff.

On Monday, the Royals acquired right-hander Connor Seabold from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Denis Samudio and cash considerations.

Seabold, 30, was designated for assignment on June 10. The Royals will offer him a fresh start and chance to carve out a role in the bullpen.

This season, Seabold owns a 4.26 ERA in 16 relief appearances. He appeared in five games with the Blue Jays after beginning the 2026 campaign with the Detroit Tigers.

“Another guy with some experience to be able to fit in the middle of the game,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Give us some length at times. He’s been pretty much one inning lately, but we’re not going to designate a role for him.”

Seabold faced the Royals on April 16 in Detroit. He allowed one run in 1 ⅓ innings and picked up the victory in the Tigers’ 10-9 win at Comerica Park.

Now, Seabold will join a Royals bullpen that owns the second-worst ERA in the American League. KC has a 4.85 ERA, which ranks just ahead of the Minnesota Twins (5.22 ERA).

“He’s a great dude and great pitcher too,” Royals reliever John Schreiber said. “He can bring longevity and he has great stuff. Good velocity on the fastball and good shape on his pitches.”

The Royals added Seabold to the 40-man roster. To clear a spot, KC transferred closer Carlos Estévez to the 60-day injured list.

Estévez is dealing with a right rotator cuff strain. He is joined by fellow relievers Nick Mears (right shoulder impingement), James McArthur (right elbow inflammation) currently on the injured list.

Seabold spent parts of five seasons with six teams. He also played internationally in Korea during the 2024 campaign. That year, Seabold finished 11-6 with a 3.43 ERA in 28 starts for the Samsung Lions.

The Royals will likely use Seabold in various ways. He does have experience pitching multiple innings and features a four-pitch arsenal.

Per Statcast, Seabold primarily relies on his fastball and changeup. He also mixes in a slider and cutter.

“He has good carry on his four-seamer,” Quatraro said. “A little bit of deception from a little lower release. (He’s) a really comfortable strike-thrower too. So somebody that’s had a lot of success against righties, especially with the slider.”

Samudio was signed by the Royals in the 2025 international signing period. He posted a 4.12 ERA while appearing with Single-A Columbia and in the Arizona Complex League.

‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’

‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source sports.yahoo.com ’