Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

At the moment, Kansas City Royals left-hander William Smith is the team's leading candidate to open the 2024 season as the closer after they signed him to a one-year, $5 million contract early in free agency. Smith, who turns 35 years old in July, has won three straight World Series titles with three different teams. He went 22-for-27 in save chances last year with an expected ERA of 3.35 well below his actual 4.40 ERA. If the Royals trade for a closer or land one in free agency, they could shift the veteran Smith to more of a setup role, thus strengthening the back end of their bullpen. Smith will have fantasy appeal as a closing option if the Royals don't upgrade, but save chances could be few and far between for the rebuilding Royals.

Free-agent right-hander Michael Lorenzen is receiving interest from the Baltimore Orioles as the club remains active in the starting pitching market. Lorenzen split the 2023 season between the Tigers and Phillies, making his first career All-Star appearance. He worked to a solid 3.58 ERA in 18 starts with the Tigers but struggled to a 5.51 ERA in 11 outings (seven starts) following a trade-deadline deal to the Phillies. However, he threw his first-career no-hitter as a member of the Phillies on Aug. 9 against the Washington Nationals. He was demoted to the bullpen for his final four regular-season appearances and was left off of the Phillies' Wild Card roster before making two postseason appearances across the NLDS and NLCS. The 32-year-old sports a career 4.11 ERA in 342 appearances (69 starts) and recently held a showcase for 16 MLB teams on Jan. 23.

Free-agent right-handers Noah Syndergaard and Michael Lorenzen threw bullpen sessions for around 16 MLB teams in California on Tuesday, according to sources. Both players were impressive, with Syndergaard consistently sitting at 93-95 mph. Syndergaard, 31, had a rough 6.50 ERA in 88 2/3 innings with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Guardians in 2023 and is a candidate to receive a one-year, prove-it deal. He's drawing interest from the Pittsburgh Pirates, among others. Lorenzen, 32, had a 3.58 ERA in 105 2/3 innings with the Detroit Tigers last year and threw a no-hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies after being traded to the National League, but he had a 5.51 ERA in 11 games (seven starts) for the Phils and was moved to the bullpen late in the season.

Kansas City Royals catcher/outfielder MJ Melendez is expected to primarily play the outfield in 2024 after he mostly served as a catcher in his second MLB season in 2023. The 25-year-old produced impressive numbers at the position in 148 games over 602 plate appearances, slashing .235/.316/.398 with 16 home runs, 56 RBI, 29 doubles, three triples, six stolen bases and 65 runs scored after hitting 18 home runs in just 129 games in his rookie season in 2022. Melendez's numbers slipped a bit in his sophomore campaign with KC, but he still hit the ball hard and had an exit velocity in the 96th percentile, and he could become even more productive at the plate this year if he's not catching at all. The main problem for his fantasy value moving forward is that he's going to lose catcher eligibility.

The Milwaukee Brewers signed free-agent catcher Austin Nola to a minor-league deal with an invitation to big-league spring training on Friday. The 34-year-old backstop became a free agent when the San Diego Padres non-tendered him in November. Nola became the Friars' starting catcher in 2022 by hitting .251 (87-for-347) with four home runs and 40 RBI in 110 games, but he fell flat this past season and was sent to the minors after hitting a putrid .146 (19-for-130) with a homer and 31 strikeouts in 52 games played at the big-league level. He's going to need to show better results offensively in 2024 and will likely open the season at Triple-A Nashville, where he'll serve as minor-league catching depth behind William Contreras and Eric Haase at the major-league level.