Royals Sign Former Major League Closer

 

He's been out of the majors for three years, but as a solid back-end reliever, he accumulated 50 saves over a 4-year span with the Atlanta Braves. Now, Arodys Vizcaino is joining the Kansas City Royals on a minor league deal.

Players designated as "minor league" free agents are able to conduct business with teams during the major league lockout. 

It'll be three years since Vizcaino threw a pitch in anger in the big leagues come 2022, but he's still just 31, and showed himself to be a viable part of the Braves' bullpen from 2015-18. He averaged over 12 saves per season over that span, striking out 10 batters per 9 innings, while sporting an ERA under 3.00. 

His stint with the Braves ended after just four appearances in 2019, when he was forced to undergo shoulder surgery that effectively drove him out of the majors.

He went unsigned in the shortened 2020 season, and pitched in Triple A in the New York Mets' system in '21. 

The Royals' bullpen ranked in the bottom half of the majors last season, and there's definitely no harm in taking a flier on an arm like Vizcaino's, now that he's three years' removed from that shoulder concern.

Photo Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports