Surging Royals reliever has gone from DFA candidate to potential major trade deadline asset

The Kansas City Royals may’ve left Tampa Bay with a disappointing series split after winning the first two games of their four-game set. However, there were several standout storylines to takeaway from the beginning of the week. One of the more overlooked ones was the continued strong presence of veteran reliever John Schreiber, who helped set the tone in Game 1 against the Rays with another scoreless inning and a hold in their narrow 2-1 victory.

And this week’s latest masterclass was just a microcosm of the 32-year-old’s consistent performance. In fact, Schreiber has been arguably the best reliever in the Royals’ bullpen for a majority of the season. Since April 19, he leads all qualified Royals relievers in ERA, WHIP and BB%, while trailing only Daniel Lynch IV in BAA and K%.

However, this hasn’t always been the case for the now thriving Royals reliever. Entering the start of his extended hot streak, Schreiber held a bullpen worst 7.11 ERA, 9.26 FIP and 2.05 BAA. Not only did this make for worry and disappointment amongst the Royals faithful, but there was a serious conversation to be had of whether he’d earned the right to remain in this bullpen.

The Royals faith in their veteran right-hander has been rewarded, as some think perhaps he’s earned the right to be in All-Star conversations – at least his teammate Vinnie Pasquantino seems to think so. But putting the Midsummer Classic aside, what Schreiber’s consistent run of excellence has more importantly done is give the Royals another name to float in trade conversations, as it appears only logical that they should approach this deadline with 2027 and beyond in mind.

As an impending unrestricted free agent after 2026, Schreiber’s name has already been floated in insider trade rumors, with The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal mentioning him earlier this month amongst the names Kansas City’s front office might be more inclined to deal by Aug. 3.

Trading John Schreiber at upcoming trade deadline might be Royals best option

At first glance, for a team with a bullpen with as many major weak points as the Royals currently have , who’ve also yet to officially make their trade deadline stance clear, trading a name like Schreiber seems like it could be hard. After all, he does hold the 12th best ERA amongst qualified MLB relievers since April 19.

However, perhaps his success has been somewhat attributed to luck this season. While his overall 2.56 ERA is strong, his 4.87 FIP tells a different story. On top of that his strikeout metrics (K-rate, whiff rate and chase rate) all rank below the 30th percentile, while his 48th percentile hard-hit rate, 42nd percentile average exit velocity and 57th percentile barrel rate trend more average than anything.

That being said, the quality of contact metrics are again average looking and terrible by any means, and he benefits from the fact that he keeps the ball on the ground more than he allows flyballs with a strong 46.5% groundball rate to a 34.9% flyball rate. On top of that his control is evident by his respectable 1.14 ERA as well as his ability to limit hits with a .214 BAA. If a reliever is not going to wipe out hitters with blistering strikeout stuff, at least he’s got a grasp on the other things to help his defense out.

Schreiber may not garner a huge return compared to closing-caliber names who might be on the market. However, a veteran right-hander who’s put up results for as long as he has this season, as well as his sub 4.00 ERA, sub-1.20 WHIP and sub-.240 BAA last season, there is certainly value to be had. And his surge in form has only made it easier for J.J. Picollo and Co. to demand a bit more in trade conversations this summer.