KANSAS CITY — On a frenzied Trade Deadline, the Royals were fairly quiet. General manager J.J. Picollo called it a “slow day.” By the end, it will be remembered more for what the Royals didn’t do than the deals they did make.
Kansas City picked up two Minor League relievers Monday, first acquiring right-hander Carlos Duran from the Dodgers for lefty Kris Bubic. Then the Royals acquired right-hander Nolan Hoffman, who was designated for assignment earlier Monday, from the Phillies for 19-year-old Minor Leaguer Manuel Colon.
Add in the two pitching prospects they acquired Saturday from the Braves for outfielder Lane Thomas and lefty Bailey Falter, and it’s clear the Royals’ priority was pitching depth.
TRADE DETAILS
Royals receive: Minor League RHP Carlos Duran
Dodgers receive: LHP Kris Bubic
TRADE DETAILS
Royals receive: Minor League RHP Nolan Hoffman
Phillies receive: Minor League RHP Manuel Colón
The 28-year-old Hoffman has allowed two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings (three appearances) across three stints with Philly this season. He has spent the majority of the year in Triple-A, where he has a 4.72 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings.
Duran could find himself in the Royals bullpen very quickly. The 6-foot-7 right-handed reliever has spent all of this season in Triple-A, where he has a 3.38 ERA and 61 strikeouts across 42 2/3 innings (37 appearances). The Dodgers signed him to a Minor League contract this offseason after the A’s released him, and he was added to the 40-man roster on July 6 but remained in Triple-A. He has one Major League appearance, which came in 2025 with the A’s, when he allowed three earned runs in one-third of an inning.
Duran’s results in the Minors have been much better, especially this season. The 25-year-old has a 31.1% strikeout rate and mainly utilizes a 95-97 mph four-seam fastball and a swing-and-miss slider. His 14.3% walk rate will need to improve, but the Royals have been interested in his big arm for a while.
“We need to try to build a bullpen for next season,” Picollo said. “Carlos was a guy that we actually tried to acquire earlier this season. He’s a really big guy. Power arm. Upper 90s fastball. He strikes a lot of guys out. The command is something that we’ve got to work on — like a lot of power relievers, there’s some work to be done there.”
Bubic, 28, is on the 60-day injured list and has been sidelined since May 15, first with a left forearm strain that was originally categorized as left elbow soreness, and then with left shoulder soreness that pushed back his return. He’s on a throwing progression again, so the Royals were looking to move him because he’s set to become a free agent this offseason.
Monday ends Bubic’s time with the organization that drafted the Stanford product No. 40 overall during its college-pitching-heavy 2018 Draft. One of their top prospects, Bubic made his MLB debut in August 2020 and has been part of the pitching staff for the past seven seasons. That time has been riddled with injuries, including Tommy John surgery in 2023, a rotator cuff strain in ’25 and the arm and shoulder injuries this year.
The back half of Bubic’s Royals career was productive when he was on the mound, including as part of their 2024 bullpen. He helped Kansas City make the postseason that season and posted a 2.67 ERA in 30 1/3 innings. Bubic was an All-Star in 2025, with a 2.48 ERA across 18 starts in the first half. In nine starts this season, Bubic posted a 4.11 ERA.
Here’s what the Royals didn’t do on Monday: They did not trade reliever John Schreiber or outfielder Starling Marte, both of whom are on expiring contracts. Nor did they trade any controllable players on their 40-man roster, most notably veteran starters Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo. The Royals were never keen on trading those two because they need them for their ‘27 rotation, which already needs additions this offseason because of Bubic’s departure and injuries to Cole Ragans (UCL repair), Ryan Bergert (UCL reconstruction) and Stephen Kolek (forearm strain that will likely need surgery).
There was interest in Wacha and Lugo, but the Royals were asking for Major League players in return.
“The big takeaway that I think is important to understand is: You trade a Michael Wacha or Seth Lugo, you’re going to get prospects back, which is not a bad thing, but also it depends on where your team’s timeline is,” Picollo said. “We’re going to be active trying to build a starting rotation up given the injuries we have, guys who won’t be available for the better part of next year. We’ve got a lot of work to do to try to rebuild a pitching staff. Getting prospects back who are three years away, four years away wasn’t that exciting to us. But it doesn’t mean that we weren’t going to listen.
“… If we were able to get a bat, get another arm in return that were already in the Major Leagues, that’s a different discussion. But when we’re a team that’s not in contention right now, and you’re dealing with teams that are in contention, the last thing they want to do is take off their Major League team. That makes it a difficult match.”
And it led to a quiet day. The Royals, who are 46-67 this year, have a lot of work to do this offseason to revamp their pitching staff and add talent and depth. But they still believe in the core of this team for 2027. That belief shaped their Deadline strategy.
“When you go around the field, we’re not rebuilding the team,” Picollo said. “… It’s because we believe in this team. We believe we can compete. That this wasn’t a teardown for us. If you don’t have starting pitching, it’s a really tough way to try to win. That’s why I would say Wacha and Lugo, again, held the value they do to us, and that’s just where we stand right now.”
