{"id":2206102,"date":"2025-12-20T00:18:59","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T00:18:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2206102"},"modified":"2025-12-20T00:18:59","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T00:18:59","slug":"whats-next-for-the-royals-after-trading-for-matt-strahm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/whats-next-for-the-royals-after-trading-for-matt-strahm\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Next For The Royals After Trading For Matt Strahm?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div q:key=\"QW_4\"><!--qv q:key=QW_2--><!--qv q:id=6k q:key=vcaa:\n\n<p>The Kansas City Royals made a key trade on Friday morning to bolster their bullpen. They <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/news\/royals-acquire-matt-strahm-from-phillies?msockid=0e91e2f7a62e6b79374af007a7866a89\" target=\"_blank\">acquired<\/a> Matt Strahm from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for reliever Jonathan Bowlan.<\/p>\n\n--><!--qv q:id=6l q:key=lY4S:mL_1--><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6m\">The Kansas City Royals made a key trade on Friday morning to bolster their bullpen. They <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/news\/royals-acquire-matt-strahm-from-phillies?msockid=0e91e2f7a62e6b79374af007a7866a89\" target=\"_blank\">acquired<\/a> Matt Strahm from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for reliever Jonathan Bowlan.<\/p>\n<p><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--qv q:key=QW_2--><!--qv q:id=6n q:key=vcaa:\n\n<p>Strahm began his career with the Royals in 2016 and was with the team until joining the San Diego Padres in 2018. This past year, the veteran left-hander posted a 2.74 ERA with the Phillies.<\/p>\n\n--><!--qv q:id=6o q:key=lY4S:mL_1--><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6p\">Strahm began his career with the Royals in 2016 and was with the team until joining the San Diego Padres in 2018. This past year, the veteran left-hander posted a 2.74 ERA with the Phillies.<\/p>\n<p><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--qv q:key=QW_2--><!--qv q:id=6q q:key=vcaa:\n\n<p>This was the first major move the Royals have made on the pitching side. They&rsquo;ve already added two bats in Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas, but there is more work to be done after the fact.<\/p>\n\n--><!--qv q:id=6r q:key=lY4S:mL_1--><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6s\">This was the first major move the Royals have made on the pitching side. They\u2019ve already added two bats in Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas, but there is more work to be done after the fact.<\/p>\n<p><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--qv q:key=QW_2--><!--qv q:id=6t q:key=vcaa:\n\n<p><em>If you like our content, <\/em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\"><u><em>choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google<\/em><\/u><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n--><!--qv q:id=6u q:key=lY4S:mL_1--><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6v\"><em>If you like our content, <\/em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\"><u><em>choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google<\/em><\/u><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--qv q:key=QW_2--><!--qv q:id=6w q:key=vcaa:\n\n<h2>What&rsquo;s Next For Royals?<\/h2>\n\n--><!--qv q:id=6x q:key=lY4S:mL_1--><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"scroll-mt-24 my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6y\">What\u2019s Next For Royals?<\/h2>\n<p><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--qv q:key=QW_2--><!--qv q:id=6z q:key=vcaa:https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_6350,h_3571,x_0,y_0\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/inside_the_royals\/01kcvxj5x92fxzcs5h86--><!--qv q:id=70 q:key=VjqC:mL_1--><!--qv q:id=71 q:key=deAA:7d_2--><!--qv q:s q:sref=71 q:key=--><!--qv q:id=72 q:key=deAA:7d_1--><!--qv q:s q:sref=72 q:key=--><!--qv q:id=73 q:key=cHU9:7d_0--><!--qv q:id=74 q:key=deAA:e2_0--><!--qv q:id=75 q:key=B0c2:SZ_1--><\/p>\n<figure q:key=\"9m_3\"><!--qv q:s q:sref=75 q:key=--><!--qv q:s q:sref=74 q:key=--><\/p>\n<div class=\"overflow-hidden bg-lightGrey undefined\" on:qvisible=\"q-Dz3MeBor.js#_hW[0]\" q:id=\"76\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_6350,h_3571\/c_fill,w_360,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01kcvxj5x92fxzcs5h86.jpg 1x, &#10;    https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_6350,h_3571\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01kcvxj5x92fxzcs5h86.jpg 2x, &#10;    https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_6350,h_3571\/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01kcvxj5x92fxzcs5h86.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 719px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_6350,h_3571\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01kcvxj5x92fxzcs5h86.jpg 1x,&#10;    https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_6350,h_3571\/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01kcvxj5x92fxzcs5h86.jpg 2x, &#10;    https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_6350,h_3571\/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01kcvxj5x92fxzcs5h86.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 1079px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_6350,h_3571\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01kcvxj5x92fxzcs5h86.jpg 1x,&#10;    https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_6350,h_3571\/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01kcvxj5x92fxzcs5h86.jpg 2x,&#10;    https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_6350,h_3571\/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01kcvxj5x92fxzcs5h86.jpg 3x\" media=\"(min-width: 1080px)\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><\/p>\n<p><figcaption q:id=\"78\">Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) runs to third base against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--qv q:key=QW_2--><!--qv q:id=79 q:key=vcaa:\n\n<p>Addressing the offense has been the main goal for the Royals this offseason, and they added two key bats to their lineup before making the Strahm trade. But they aren&rsquo;t done just yet.<\/p>\n\n--><!--qv q:id=7a q:key=lY4S:mL_1--><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7b\">Addressing the offense has been the main goal for the Royals this offseason, and they added two key bats to their lineup before making the Strahm trade. But they aren\u2019t done just yet.<\/p>\n<p><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--qv q:key=QW_2--><!--qv q:id=7c q:key=vcaa:\n\n<p>There is more work to be done for a team that was let down by its lineup and finished in third place in the American League Central. Earlier this week, Ken Rosenthal of <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6890000\/2025\/12\/15\/royals-red-sox-mlb-free-agency-trades\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Athletic<\/a> reported that Kansas City was still showing interest in adding another outfielder, namely Boston Red Sox star Jarren Duran.<\/p>\n\n--><!--qv q:id=7d q:key=lY4S:mL_1--><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7e\">There is more work to be done for a team that was let down by its lineup and finished in third place in the American League Central. Earlier this week, Ken Rosenthal of <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6890000\/2025\/12\/15\/royals-red-sox-mlb-free-agency-trades\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Athletic<\/a> reported that Kansas City was still showing interest in adding another outfielder, namely Boston Red Sox star Jarren Duran.<\/p>\n<p><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--qv q:key=QW_2--><!--qv q:id=7f q:key=vcaa:\n\n<p>That might take a big haul from Kansas City, but if they are still looking for offensive help, that is likely where they will go next. If they can&rsquo;t land Duran, then they could target the St. Louis Cardinals&rsquo; Brendan Donovan, who they have been linked to several times this offseason.<\/p>\n\n--><!--qv q:id=7g q:key=lY4S:mL_1--><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7h\">That might take a big haul from Kansas City, but if they are still looking for offensive help, that is likely where they will go next. If they can\u2019t land Duran, then they could target the St. Louis Cardinals\u2019 Brendan Donovan, who they have been linked to several times this offseason.<\/p>\n<p><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--qv q:key=QW_2--><!--qv q:id=7i q:key=vcaa:\n\n<p>They need an upgrade at second base over Jonathan India, and Donovan could fill that role. They also obviously could use more help in the outfield, hence their interest in Duran.<\/p>\n\n--><!--qv q:id=7j q:key=lY4S:mL_1--><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7k\">They need an upgrade at second base over Jonathan India, and Donovan could fill that role. They also obviously could use more help in the outfield, hence their interest in Duran.<\/p>\n<p><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--qv q:key=QW_2--><!--qv q:id=7l q:key=vcaa:\n\n<p>Donovan can play all over the diamond, and could fill that role as well. But a move to acquire one of those two hitters is likely what will come next. The Royals are pushing hard for more offense.<\/p>\n\n--><!--qv q:id=7m q:key=lY4S:mL_1--><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7n\">Donovan can play all over the diamond, and could fill that role as well. But a move to acquire one of those two hitters is likely what will come next. The Royals are pushing hard for more offense.<\/p>\n<p><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--qv q:key=QW_2--><!--qv q:id=7o q:key=vcaa:\n\n<p>Their pitching staff appears to be in pretty good shape after bringing back Strahm. They can trade from that pitching depth to land Donovan, Duran, or another hitter in a deal.<\/p>\n\n--><!--qv q:id=7p q:key=lY4S:mL_1--><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7q\">Their pitching staff appears to be in pretty good shape after bringing back Strahm. They can trade from that pitching depth to land Donovan, Duran, or another hitter in a deal.<\/p>\n<p><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--qv q:key=QW_2--><!--qv q:id=7r q:key=vcaa:\n\n<p>The Royals&rsquo; offseason plans are taking shape, and they already have a strong foundation in place for 2026. Now, they&rsquo;ll likely look to keep adding to that nucleus and doing everything they can to build a contender.<\/p>\n\n--><!--qv q:id=7s q:key=lY4S:mL_1--><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7t\">The Royals\u2019 offseason plans are taking shape, and they already have a strong foundation in place for 2026. Now, they\u2019ll likely look to keep adding to that nucleus and doing everything they can to build a contender.<\/p>\n<p><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--qv q:key=QW_2--><!--qv q:id=7u q:key=vcaa:\n\n<p><em><strong>More MLB: <\/strong><\/em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/royals\/onsi\/news\/former-red-sox-mariners-journeyman-reportedly-signing-with-royals-jackson3\"><em><strong>Former Red Sox, Mariners Journeyman Reportedly Signing With Royals<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n--><!--qv q:id=7v q:key=lY4S:mL_1--><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7w\"><em><strong>More MLB: <\/strong><\/em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/royals\/onsi\/news\/former-red-sox-mariners-journeyman-reportedly-signing-with-royals-jackson3\"><em><strong>Former Red Sox, Mariners Journeyman Reportedly Signing With Royals<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><!--\/qv--><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.si.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Kansas City Royals made a key trade on Friday morning to bolster their bullpen. They acquired Matt Strahm from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for reliever Jonathan Bowlan. Strahm began his career with the Royals in 2016 and was with the team until joining the San Diego Padres in 2018. This past year, the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2206103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2206102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-royalty"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Whats-Next-For-The-Royals-After-Trading-For-Matt-Strahm.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2206102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2206102"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2206102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2206104,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2206102\/revisions\/2206104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2206103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2206102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2206102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2206102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}