The Kansas City Royals reportedly have agreed to a two-year deal with free-agent left-handed pitcher Mike Minor, pending the results of a physical.
Minor, who turns 33 on Dec. 26, split the 2020 season with the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics and went 1-6 with a 5.56 ERA in 12 games (11 starts). He was an All-Star with the Rangers in 2019, finishing 14-10 with a 3.59 ERA and 200 strikeouts in 208.1 innings.
Minor previously pitched for the Royals in 2017 after sitting out the 2015 and 2016 seasons following Tommy John surgery.
He owns a 71-66 career record with a 3.98 ERA and 1,048 strikeouts in 1,152 1/3 innings with the Atlanta Braves (2010-14), Royals, Rangers (2018-20), and A’s.
It’s the second major starting-pitching signing of the offseason in Major League Baseball, which has an abundant market available for hurlers. Last week, Charlie Morton signed with the Atlanta Braves after two seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The saturated market is important for the Phillies, who are in need of reliable starting pitching depth behind Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler.
National League Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer remains the ultimate prize on the pitching free-agent market this offseason, but he is out of the realm of possibility for the Phillies, who reportedly cannot afford to re-sign star catcher JT Realmuto.
Notable pitchers still available include Jake Odorizzi, Corey Kluber, Masahiro Tanaka, and Cole Hamels.
