Royals acquire reliever Schreiber in trade with Red Sox.
The Royals have been looking for ways to strengthen their bullpen all offseason, and they didn’t stop when the offseason ended and Spring Training began.
On Saturday, they swung a trade for Red Sox right-hander John Schreiber while sending their No. 19 prospect David Sandlin to Boston.
Schreiber gives the Royals another high-leverage arm as they continue remaking their bullpen from last season. Parting with Sandlin, the Royals’ 11th-round Draft pick out of Oklahoma in 2022, stings because he’s a young arm with strikeout stuff, but the Royals are also getting three years of control with Schreiber (including this year).
The 29-year-old recorded a 3.86 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 46 appearances (46 2/3 innings) last season with the Red Sox. He began the year with a 2.12 ERA in his first 18 appearances before missing 58 games from mid-May to the All-Star break with a right teres major strain.
A five-year Major League veteran, Schreiber has a 3.58 ERA in his career with the Tigers and Red Sox. His best year came in 2022, when he posted a 2.22 ERA across 64 games (65 innings) with 74 strikeouts and at one point had a 17 1/3-inning scoreless streak.