Kansas City Royals reportedly agreed to a two-year deal with left-hand pitcher Mike Minor over the weekend. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the signing will become official after Minor undergoes a successful physical.
Minor split 2020 between Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics, posting 5.54 ERA with 1-6 record and 62 strikeouts in 12 games.
This will mark the return to Kansas City for Minor, as he suited up for the Royals during the 2017 MLB season. He was coming off a Tommy John surgery at the time but managed to produce a respectable campaign as a reliever, finishing the year with a 2.55 ERA and 6-6 record.
Minor turned the success with Royals into a three-year, $28 million contract with Rangers and was mostly productive during his stint with the organization. He especially had a strong outing in 2019, when he went 14-10 with 3.59 ERA and 200 strikeouts en route to his first career All-Star nod and eighth place in Cy Young voting.
Royals are now expecting Minor to step up for them again, as he will most likely be a starter and play a significant role in the rotation for the next MLB season. The team also has the likes of Brad Keller, Danny Duffy, and Brady Singer as rotational pieces, with several prospects also knocking on the door.
