Royals land Boxberger on 1-year deal
The Kansas City Royals agreed to a one-year deal with right-hander Brad Boxberger on Thursday, the team announced.
The deal is worth $2.2 million, plus $1 million in incentives, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
After trading Kelvin Herrera to the Washington Nationals in June 2018, the Royals shifted Wily Peralta into the closer's role. Boxberger and Peralta should compete for that spot in spring training.
This offseason, general manager Dayton Moore has already added Billy Hamilton, Chris Owings, and Terrance Gore to a Royals team coming off a last-place finish in the American League Central.
The 30-year-old Boxberger saved 32 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks last year, striking out 12 hitters per nine innings.
Boxberger usually posts a high strikeout rate, but he also tends to walk a ton of batters.
Career stats
| YEAR | K/9 | BB/9 | K% | BB% | K%-BB% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 10.7 | 5.9 | 27.5 | 15.0 | 12.5 |
| 2013 | 9.8 | 5.3 | 25.5 | 13.8 | 11.7 |
| 2014 | 14.5 | 2.8 | 42.1 | 8.1 | 34.0 |
| 2015 | 10.6 | 4.6 | 27.3 | 11.8 | 15.5 |
| 2016 | 8.1 | 7.0 | 19.3 | 16.7 | 2.6 |
| 2017 | 12.3 | 3.4 | 33.1 | 9.1 | 24.0 |
| 2018 | 12.0 | 5.4 | 30.2 | 13.6 | 16.6 |
He was an All-Star with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2015 when he saved 41 games.