Kansas City bets on Nate Pearson’s triple-digit heat, hoping to refine the former top prospect’s command and fortify the bullpen for a future spot in their bullpen.
In the days leading up to the MLB trade deadline, it isn’t unusual to see teams shuffling prospects and options that may not exactly be Earth-shattering agreements. But even in those instances, a roll of the dice for a right-handed pitcher with a live arm is often a gamble worth taking.
That's what the Kansas City Royals are doing in their recent trade with the Houston Astros which is set to bring pitcher Nate Pearson to the Heart of America.
For more on the move and what led Kansas City to roll the dice, Royals Roundtable writer Joey Linn has a look at the agreement.
In exchange, the Astros will receive minor league pitcher Max Martin. The Royals announced the trade Wednesday afternoon.
The move provides the Royals with a 29-year-old pitcher with consistently impressive velocity, giving themselves a chance to curb his high-walk rate (14.3%) to develop him into an efficient and threatening reliever in this bullpen.
They’ll have to find a way to manage his lengthy injury history as well, but as many pitching reclamation projects have in the past, Kansas City could win big here without having to leverage a top prospect in the process. Pearson was designated for assignment (DFA) by Houston on July 19, but now has new life as he heads to the Royals.
As for the Astros, salvaging trade value for any DFA'd player is a bit of a victory. They will now shed the salary of Pearson while adding some minor league support in Martin.
It appears likely that Pearson will now get a chance to go through evaluation by the Royals' pitching staff to see how the club can best maximize his high-velocity arm as they prepare to tinker with and build their roster with sights set on next season.
In order to make room for Pearson on their 40-man roster, the Royals also designated outfielder Kameron Misner for assignment.
