The Kansas City Royals have been on a roll as of late. They had won five consecutive games before a tough 6-3 loss on Wednesday night to the Texas Rangers. They are now just 2 1/2 games back of the Seattle Mariners in the American League Wild Card race. Seattle holds the final spot and Kansas City has inched closer in recent weeks. They now have a legitimate shot to make it back to the postseason for the second consecutive year.
The Royals have seen a lot of players step up in a big way this year, and they have been performing quite well since they decided to be buyers at the trade deadline. However, not everything is perfect in Kansas City, and they are going to need some other players to step up too if they want to make a run.
Left-hander Bailey Falter was acquired at the trade deadline this summer, but he hasn’t performed well lately, and was even moved into a long-relief role. Jacob Milham of Kings of Kauffman predicts that by 2026, the Royals will have moved on from Falter.
“Kansas City has some sharp pitching minds in the organization, but if they can’t pinpoint and fix Falter’s issues before season’s end, shouldn’t they consider moving on?” Milham wrote on Thursday.
“The Royals didn’t part with much prospect capital to acquire the former Pirates starter at the deadline, but they still had to expect more than what Falter has shown in his first two starts—and even in his relief outing since. On top of the rough results, it feels like his pitching plan has been shifting constantly, adding even more uncertainty to his role moving forward.”
Since joining the Royals, Falter has made two starts and one relief appearance. In those outings, he is 0-1 with a 9.90 ERA over 10 innings of work. It certainly has been a struggle for the 28-year-old left-hander.
Prior to the trade, Falter was 7-5 with a 3.73 ERA in 22 starts with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but that success hasn’t translated over to Kansas City just yet. He isn’t a free agent until after the 2028 season, but the Royals may not want to keep him around if he is unable to pull it together for the stretch run.
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