Royals smart to bring back Greinke


This offseason, Kansas City has been busy adding pitching, from the starting rotation to the bullpen. The team recently brought back Zack Greinke on a one year deal. Heading into next season, Greinke will serve in the same role he did last season, a mentor. The 39-year old last season posted an ERA of 3.68 in 26 starts. Kansas City wasn't the only team that showed interest in the right hander. The Orioles along with other teams looked to add Greinke to their pitching staff. However, Greinke didn't seem to want to play anywhere else in 2023. During a spring training bullpen session, Royals pitcher Brady Singer said the following on Greinke being a mentor: "He's very honest. It may not be what you want to hear, but it's the truth, and it's going to help you in the long run." Heading into next season, Greinke won't be the only veteran arm in the rotation. The team signed pitcher Jordan Lyles to a two year deal back in December. Both Lyles and Greinke are great veteran additions to a young starting rotation; however Greinke has plenty of mentoring experience as well. The final two spots in the starting rotation are going very interesting to watch during spring training as the team has many options to choose from in Ryan Yarbrough, Daniel Lynch, Kris Bubic, Brad Keller, Johnathan Heasley, and Max Castillo. The return of Greinke doesn't just help the pitching staff but the entire team. Greinke has played for many winning teams throughout his big league career, but unfortunately, he has been unable to win a World Series title. The right hander, has won many awards throughout his career such as the Gold Glove award and an American League Cy Young Award. The former Cy Young winner throughout his career has proven he can pitch in the majors very well and be a good mentor to young pitchers. The return of Greinke for the Royals is great for many reasons—a mentor to the young pitchers but also fills a spot in the starting five. However, the team still has the final spot in the rotation to fill. I believe they will go the in house route for the final spot. The team has many options to choose from in Brad Keller, Johnathan Heasley, Carlos Hernandez, and Ryan Yarbrough. Greinke's return to the Royals with the addition of new pitching coach Brian Sweeney will benefit the young pitchers in the organization such as Brady Singer and Daniel Lynch. According to teamrankings.com, the team is projected to finish the season with a record of 65 wins and 97 losses. Although the Royals are projected to have another losing season, fans should still be excited to see Greinke back with the team and see the young guys like Bobby Witt Jr. and others develop into big league players with not many veteran players taking big league playing time away from them.
















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