The Kansas City Royals are adding a 13-year veteran to boost their pitching depth.
According to the team’s player development account, the Royals signed left-hander Matt Moore to a minor league deal Saturday. The club has yet to announce which affiliate he will report to.
Moore, 37, returns to pro ball after not pitching during the 2025 season. He signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox last February but did not make the Opening Day roster. Arm issues prevented him from ever taking the mound for Triple-A Worcester, and he was released in early April. The left-hander remained a free agent for the rest of the year.
Once viewed as MLB’s top overall prospect, Moore began his career as a starter with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011. He earned his first and only All-Star selection in 2013, when he went 17-4 with a 3.29 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 8.6 K/9 rate over 27 starts. Unfortunately, his career was set back by Tommy John surgery in 2014, and his numbers declined after the procedure.
Moore’s career got back on track in 2022, when he shifted to relief pitching full-time and posted exceptional numbers for the Texas Rangers. The veteran southpaw appeared in 63 games that season, recording a 1.95 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 83 strikeouts in 74 innings. He followed that up with a 2.56 ERA and 10.3 K/9 rate over 52.2 innings in 2023 before experiencing a down season with the Los Angeles Angels in 2024.
If Moore reaches the majors and pitches for Kansas City, it would mark his first appearance on a big league mound since Aug. 25, 2024. He posted a 5.03 ERA and 1.35 WHIP over 48.1 innings with the Angels that year before a forearm injury prematurely ended his season.
Kansas City’s bullpen entered the weekend with a collective 4.89 ERA (26th in MLB) and 1.52 WHIP, the third-worst mark in the majors. John Schreiber and Daniel Lynch IV have been bright spots for the Royals, but for the most part, their relief corps has struggled to limit baserunners.
The Royals already have plenty of experienced pitching depth at Triple-A Omaha, with Aaron Sanchez, Génesis Cabrera and Randy Dobnak among the arms with at least three years of MLB service time. Moore gives them another low-risk, high-reward arm who can compete for a spot in the big-league bullpen.
