The Kansas City Royals have added to what was already the best bullpen in baseball by agreeing to retain the services of reliever Luke Hochevar with a two-year, $10-million deal, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
luke hochevar signs FA deal back with royals: $10M, 2 years. kc enhances baseball’s best pen. http://t.co/JMtdaiSFEY
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 3, 2014
The number one overall pick back in 2006 had a shaky career as a starting pitcher but dominated in a move to the bullpen in 2013. He posted a 1.92 ERA along with 10.5 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 that season as he served as the team’s primary eighth inning man. He seemed primed for that role again in 2014, but he required Tommy John surgery during spring training, which prompted the move to the bullpen for Wade Davis. Hochevar should be ready to go for the start of the regular season.
The Royals currently have the best bullpen in the game with Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland solidifying the final three innings in most contests. Kansas City also re-signed Jason Frasor for 2015, who pitched well for them in the second half of 2014 after coming over in a trade with the Texas Rangers. The addition of Hochevar not only adds another dominant arm to the mix, but it also gives the team some flexibility should they receive a strong trade offer for Wade Davis or Greg Holland to improve other areas of the team.
John Sorce is a correspondent for Baseball Essential
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