Phillies, Royals Complete Head-Scratching 1-For-1 Trade Involving All-Star

Good on the Kansas City Royals for continuing to assert their presence with authority on the trade market.

Last week, the Royals traded left-handed pitcher Angel Zerpa to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder Isaac Collins and right-handed pitcher Nick Mears. It was a nice swap for Kansas City on paper, but it left the back end of the bullpen missing a key southpaw presence.

On Friday, the Royals landed a new lefty to fill Zerpa’s spot, and frankly, the newcomer brings a much stronger track record into the role.

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Royals somehow land Matt Strahm for 29-year-old righty

According to multiple reports, including Robert Murray of FanSided, the Royals acquired All-Star left-hander Matt Strahm from the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, sending 29-year-old righty Jonathan Bowlan as the sole return piece in the deal.

When it comes to trading relievers, it’s hard to declare “winners” until both sides get the opportunity to put their newcomers through their pitching labs and see what sort of results come out the other side.

Strahm, 34, has become one of the most dependable lefties in the sport, making an All-Star team as a Phillie in 2024 and pitching to a 2.71 ERA and striking out 257 batters in his 212 2/3 innings with the club over the last three years.

Plus, Strahm was once a 21st-round draft pick for the Royals in 2012, so this is a full-circle moment for the veteran, who pitched 45 games for Kansas City to begin his major league career.

Not only is Strahm durable, but he’s got big-game pedigree, and that should help him slot in perfectly as the top dog lefty setup man in a Kansas City bullpen with All-Star Carlos Estévez slated to be the closer.

Strahm is also locked in for an affordable $7.5 million salary after triggering a vesting option, and will hit free agency at the end of next season. Bowlan, meanwhile, is under team control through 2031.

Bowlan isn’t exactly a benchwarmer; he pitched to a 3.86 ERA in 44 1/3 innings this past season, striking out 46 batters. And the Phillies had an excess of lefties, making Strahm somewhat expendable, while they needed some help getting out tough righties in high-leverage situations.

That said, based on past production and name recognition, the Royals have greatly improved their roster with these deals. Collins, Strahm, and Mears for Zerpa and Bowlan is a potentially lopsided haul in Kansas City’s favor.

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