5 former Royals free agents it's not too late to bring back
By Joel Wagler
4. Brad Keller, SP
You can never have enough starting pitching and Brad Keller has shown flashes of being a serviceable major league pitcher in the past.
Keller missed most of the 2023 campaign due to a shoulder impingement, but did return in September to make two late appearances. In his last effort, he gave up three runs in one inning. That may have been enough to scare off the Royals for good.
Four full months have passed and it is possible Keller has healed and strengthened his shoulder. He has shown promise in the past, posting a 3.50 ERA and 1.285 WHIP over 360 innings in his first three seasons. Three long years have passed since he compiled those numbers.
Being that he is still sitting out there unsigned, and he is only 28, the Royals could bring him back to see if he's healthy now and if there's a chance he could repeat those stats from early in his career. The back of the Royals rotation has a lot of question marks and no rotation dodges injuries over the course of a long season.
If nothing else, the competition in spring training could be helpful in pushing for better performances from the pitchers penciled in the rotation.