Kowar to Atlanta


Kansas City's front office said this offseason the team is making it a mission to target veteran arms, and the team struck fast to begin accomplishing that mission. Atlanta and Kansas City agreed on a deal to send pitcher Nick Anderson to the Royals for cash. The Royals also moved on from former first round pick Jackson Kowar to bring in righthander Kyle Wright. Kowar's time with the Royals didn't go well for him or the team. The right-hander made his big league debut on June 7 against the Angels; and like the rest of his Royals career, it didn't go well. The righthander gave up four runs in the first inning along with wild pitches and two walks. Kansas City sent a struggling starter in Kowar to the Braves for an arm that has a good track record other than last season. Two seasons ago, Wright had an ERA below 4.00 at  3.19 in 30 games and 30 starts. Last season for Wright wasn't one he would like to remember. The right-hander posted an ERA of 6.97 in only nine games. Wright suffered a torn capsule and missed the remainder of last season and will miss all of next season. The question fans should be asking is why would the team bring in an injury prone pitcher into the mix? Wright's past stats would be a good reason to bring in him, and not to mention the Royals have a history of bringing in bounce back candidates. Kansas City is hoping Wright can step into the starting five following the potential departure of Jordan Lyles next offseason. Wright's payday won't leave a dent in the Royals budget with a projected $1.4 million in arbitration along with plenty of team control. The 28-year old hurler is under team control until the year 2026. The 28-year old started 51 games for Atlanta; but he does have a little relief experience under his belt with nine bullpen outings, so the Royals can use his arm in any way possible. According to Yahoo Finance, Wright is viewed as a potential top starter for the Royals. The Royals seem to have their top starter already set in Cole Ragans. Ragans in his first season as a member of the Royals, posted a great ERA of 2.64 with 89 strikeouts. Kansas City hasn’t had a starter similar to Ragans since James Shields was in KC. Depending on how Brady Singer shows in spring training, Wright could be the team's second or third starter. The starting five in my opinion doesn't look to be a big concern with Daniel Lynch likely returning for next season fully healthy. Kansas City's bullpen was the biggest red flag last season ranking 29th out of the 30 teams in the league. If Wright can stay healthy next season, I truly believe he could boost the pitching staff as a whole in 2024 and in the future. Both deals with Atlanta seem to show that the Royals front office will continue to add arms to the organization and maybe make a postseason push in the next few seasons with the rise of Bobby Witt Jr and other up and coming players for the Royals.

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