Three Ex-Royals Players Who Are Thriving With Their New Teams

It was a tough start to the homestand, as the Royals lost 10-4 to the Tampa Bay Rays, who lead the AL East. Even though Kansas City dropped to 35-51, it was a beautiful night at Kauffman Stadium for baseball, especially once the sun set.

Not a lot has gone right for the Royals this season. In addition to a regression in performance, they have been plagued by injuries. The latest came tonight, as reliever Connor Seabold had to be removed due to a lat injury. It'll be interesting to see who Kansas City calls up to replace his spot in the bullpen, especially with the 40-man roster lacking dependable (and healthy) arms at this moment. 

With the Royals 16 games under .500, it's easy for fans to look at what Royals President of Baseball Operations could've done in the offseason to avoid such a disastrous campaign. Could they have been more aggressive in free agency? Should they have pulled the trigger on that rumored Jarren Duran for Cole Ragans deal with the Red Sox? Should they have been more prudent with extensions to Salvador Perez, Vinnie Pasquantino, and Maikel Garcia, who have all regressed in 2026?

That said, while those are big questions to ponder, there are little moves that went under the radar this offseason that impacted the roster in negative ways.

In this post, I am going to talk about three players the Royals parted ways with this offseason (two by non-tender and one by trade) who have ended up having strong 2026 campaigns with their new clubs. Furthermore, I will discuss why the Royals let them go and what they could've brought to this team had Picollo decided to bring them back.

Taylor Clarke, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks

After not pitching in the Majors in 2024 due to injury (he was with the Brewers), Clarke returned to Kansas City in 2025 and had a stellar campaign. In 55.1 IP, he posted a 3.25 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 3.94 FIP, and 17% K-BB%. Even though he didn't get a whole lot of high-leverage opportunities (he had just five holds and one save), Clarke was one of the more dependable bullpen arms for Kansas City last season.

However, even though he was coming off a great season, the Royals opted not to tender Clarke a contract in the offseason. The Diamondbacks, who drafted Clarke in the 2015 MLB Draft, signed him to a one-year, $1.55 million contract shortly after his release by the Royals. So far, the 33-year-old righty has lived up to his one-year deal in Arizona.

In 35.1 IP, Clarke has a 2.04 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 3.76 FIP, and 9% K-BB%. The strikeouts are down this year, as his 14.9% K% is 6.5% lower than his K% with the Royals in 2025. That said, he's done a better job of limiting home runs (6.7% HR/FB%), and he's also produced decent TJ Stuff+ numbers to go along with strong xwOBACON marks, as seen below in his TJ Stuff+ summary.

Clarke primarily excels with his slider and changeup, which have TJ Stuff+ marks of 105 and 102, respectively. His slider is his best pitch overall with a 33% chase rate, 37% whiff rate, and .296 xwOBACON. Overall, his chase rate (29%) and xwOBACON (.337) are above-average, but his zone rate (46.5%) and whiff rate (22.6%) leave a little to be desired. 

Some regression could be coming for Clarke, especially when one looks at his Statcast percentiles. The lack of CSW and Swinging Strikes could eventually be exposed as he gets deeper into the season and hitters adjust to his profile and approach.

While Clarke's profile is flawed, which explains why the Royals were okay with letting him go, he's been dependable for the Diamondbacks, even in medium- to high-leverage. He has 11 holds this year, his highest mark in that category since 2023 when he had 12 holds in 58 plate appearances. Clarke will likely surpass that number barring an epic collapse or injury.

Considering the Royals bullpen ranks 29th in reliever ERA and 30th in WHIP, Clarke would be a worthwhile arm to have right now, especially in the late innings. Lucas Erceg and Matt Strahm have struggled, and Carlos Estevez has only pitched in one game due to injury. The Royals closer likely won't be back anytime soon after another setback, according to Anne Rogers. 

Jonathan Bowlan, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies

Speaking of the bullpen, another arm the Royals could've used this year is Bowlan, their second-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft.

In his first full season with Kansas City in 2025, Bowlan posted a 3.86 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 3.93 FIP, and 16.1% K-BB%. Stuff was never an issue for Bowlan last year, as he posted an overall TJ Stuff+ of 104 and a K% of 25.6%. However, he struggled with the long ball, as evidenced by his 17.6% HR/FB rate.

Needing a more proven veteran arm, Picollo traded Bowlan to Philadelphia for Strahm, a former Royals draft pick. Unfortunately, the move has not turned out as planned for Kansas City this season. 

In 26.2 IP with the Royals, Strahm has a 5.74 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, a 6.85 FIP, and 8.6% K-BB%. After allowing a 6.0% HR/FB rate in 2025 with the Phillies, the 34-year-old lefty has seen that rate balloon to 18.2% with the Royals. As a result, manager Matt Quatraro has moved Strahm out of high-leverage situations for the time being.

On the flip side, Bowlan has taken his pitching to the next level in the City of Brotherly Love.

In 25.1 IP, he has a 3.55 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 2.59 FIP, and 22.9% K-BB%. He's decreased his HR/FB% to 8.7%, and his Statcast profile is encouraging, as he ranks near the top percentiles of the league in most categories.

The only categories that Bowlan is under the 60th percentile in? Strike% (38th percentile) and zone% (22nd). That's pretty impressive and a sign that Bowlan may have what it takes to be an elite late-innings reliever. After a slow start in March (7.71 ERA) and April (4.76 ERA), he's been particularly good in June with a 1.13 ERA. He also has 14 strikeouts to just two walks in eight innings of work this month.

When comparing Bowlan to Strahm this year, it's not just Bowlan's results that are better than Strahm's, but the righty's stuff and velocity metrics blow Strahm's out of the water as well. That can be seen below via their TJ Stuff+ summary comparison.

Not only is Bowlan's TJ Stuff+ 10 points higher than Strahm's, but Bowlan doesn't have a single pitcher under the 100 TJ Stuff+ mark. As for Strahm, he has just two, and at 102 each, that's still lower than Bowlan's worst-rated pitches (Bowlan's changeup and curve have a TJ Stuff+ of 103). 

The Royals are lacking a lot of relievers with big TJ Stuff+ numbers. Steven Cruz fits that bill, as does Beck Way, but after that, it gets pretty light. Bowlan would be a nice fit for the Royals right now due to his power arm, and he probably could have handled medium-leverage situations at the very least (maybe more if he was given the chance).

Randal Grichuk, OF, Chicago White Sox

The Royals acquired Grichuk at the Trade Deadline last year, and he was a dud in Kansas City.

In 43 games and 105 plate appearances with the Royals after coming over from Arizona, Grichuk hit .206 with a .566 OPS and 83 TJ Bat+. As a result of his poor performance at the plate and questionable defense in the outfield, Picollo opted not to bring Grichuk back by declining his $5 million mutual option and paying a $3 million buyout to shed his contract. 

Initially, Grichuk signed with the Yankees this offseason and didn't do so hot in the Bronx either. In 33 plate appearances with the Yankees, he hit .194 with a .535 OPS. His TJ Bat+ was better at 136, showing he was due for positive regression, but the Yankees released him with a crowded outfield already. 

The White Sox scooped up Grichuk shortly after he was released, and the move has paid off for the South Siders.

In 38 games and 91 plate appearances with the White Sox, the 34-year-old outfielder is hitting .291 with a .981 OPS. He has nine home runs, 13 runs scored, and 21 RBI. Grichuk also sports a 136 TJ Bat+ and some impressive Statcast percentiles, as illustrated below.

Grichuk doesn't walk much, as his 4% BB% ranks in the 5th percentile. However, his barrel rate ranks in the 90th percentile, his hard-hit rate ranks in the 84th percentile, his Pull Air% ranks in the 76th percentile, and his LA Sweet-Spot% ranks in the 99th percentile. Essentially, Grichuk is producing consistent quality contact, and that's a reason why his wOBA ranks in the 88th percentile and his xwOBA ranks in the 95th percentile.

A key to Grichuk's success this year has been his effectiveness against left-handed pitchers. He is producing a .439 xwOBA and .440 wOBA against lefties compared to a .307 xwOBA and .236 wOBA against righties. In addition to better wOBA numbers, the former Royals outfielder has also excelled in many Statcast categories against lefties this season.

The biggest difference is that Grichuk just pulls the ball in the air, hits the ball harder, and launches it more against lefties than righties. Does that make Grichuk an everyday player? No, but it makes him a premium platoon hitter from the right side, which is exactly what the White Sox needed.

The Royals also wanted a platoon bat that could be a righty weapon against lefties. Picollo acquired Starling Marte to satisfy the role. Unfortunately, based on the Statcast percentiles, Marte has actually done better against righties than lefties this season.

In 80 PA against lefties, Marte has .289 wOBA and .300 xwOBA. That is much worse than his .330 wOBA and .360 xwOBA in 26 PA against righties. Furthermore, Marte's LA-Sweet Spot%, hard-hit%, barrel%, and pull air% all fare better against righties than lefties, much to the Royals' chagrin. 

The 37-year-old veteran didn't cost the Royals much (just $1 million). However, for an extra $2 million, the Royals could've had a lefty masher in Grichuk who would've played better into the platoon lineups that Quatraro has preferred to utilize in his tenure as manager in Kansas City.