We are back discussing free-agent bullpen options, and this time around we will discuss the "best of the rest" bullpen option for the Royals. If the Adrian Morejon, David Bednar, or Evan Phillips sweepstakes go away from the Royals, it is nice to have backup options, and the free agent market has some intriguing options available.

This free agent class is a mixed bag after the top options, but there are plenty of intriguing arms beginning with a former foe of the Royals.

Gregory Soto

The fireball-throwing southpaw makes a ton of sense for the Royals bullpen as he excels in what the Royals struggled with, getting strikeouts and getting outs in leverage situations. The former Detroit Tiger put together one of his best seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2026, pitching in multiple roles. In both the setup man and closing roles, Soto had an ERA of 3.63, 27.7% K-rate, 10.2% BB-rate, 0.67 HR/9, while having 16 saves.

Going a little deeper, he limits hard contact at an elite level: 87th percentile in hard-hit rate, 94th percentile in barrel rate, and 95th percentile in average exit velocity. He also still sports one of the best sliders in the league out of the bullpen as opposing batters only hit .119 off it in 2026. The only concerns in his profile are the high walk rate and his sinker getting hit a ton in 2026.

Similar to Evan Phillips, Soto will have a competitive market and is expected to garner a contract worth around $13.8 million in average annual value (AAV), according to Spotrac. Soto would bring a lot of versatility and experience to a Royals bullpen that struggled due to having roles changed early in the season.

Raisel Iglesias

Iglesias would immediately fit into the closer role in the Royals bullpen, and he continues to be one of the better closers in the league. He is coming off his eighth straight season with at least 1.0 fWAR and continues to be efficient in save attempts, with 34 of 37 converted in 2026. With efficiency as his calling card, he still racks up the Ks (26.8% K-rate), limits walks (7.1% BB-rate), still gets a ton of whiffs (30.0% whiff rate), and is one of the best at getting chases (39.0% chase rate).

That efficiency helped him get a 2.55 ERA, but there are some red flags in his profile that could make the Royals wary. Iglesias doesn't generate a ton of grounders (38.2% GB-rate), and he allowed a ton of barrels this season (9.6% barrel rate). His contract is also another reason for the Royals to be wary, as he is projected to get a $11.4 million AAV in this market. While he has shown consistency over his career, that price tag for one of the oldest relievers on the market will probably be the line in the sand for the Royals.

Bryan Abreu

2026 was a down year for Bryan Abreu, but he is an arm a lot of teams will look at due to his track record in Houston. From 2022-2025, Abreu had three seasons of 100+ Ks, an fWAR of at least 1.0, and at least 70+ innings of work as a staple in the Astros bullpen. Abreu is your typical fireball-throwing reliever with wipeout stuff, but there are concerns with how 2026 went for him that reflect in his projected market.

The big thing for Abreu is his ability to generate Ks and whiffs, which he did very well in 2026. He is also known for limiting the long ball, but in 2026 he gave up a career-high 1.29 HR/9. The issue was that batters were pulling the ball in the air against him (24.6% AIR pull rate) and those fly balls were going over the fence a lot (15.5% HR/FB rate). Abreu also had issues with walks all season, with a 15.3% BB rate, a career worst.

Coming into his free agency, he is still in the top five in terms of projected AAV, but if he mimicked any of his seasons from 2022-2025, he would probably be set to be a top-two reliever on the market. He is currently still projected at a $10.9 AAV, which might help the Royals stay competitive in his market.

Jason Adam

Stop me if you've heard this before: the Royals sign a former reliever who began his career in KC, then became a good reliever after his time with the organization. Adam, a Blue Valley Northwest graduate, is an interesting option for the Royals after a down 2026. A right shoulder strain sidelined him for a majority of the season and when he was healthy he wasn't at his peak abilities.

He had an ERA of 2.62 in 34.1 innings of work, but struggled to miss bats with a 15.5% K-rate. Outside of the K-rate, his profile didn't have any other major holes, as he still maintained at least league-average values in every other metric. He still sports a great slider that gets outs and he has experience pitching in high leverage.

A reunion makes sense for the Royals, who need arms that have experience in leverage, but Adam is projected to get an $8.7 million AAV despite a down 2026 at 35 years old.

John Schreiber

This is a reunion that makes sense, despite 2026 not being a strong one for Schreiber with the Royals. With the Royals, he had an ERA of 3.65 and struggled in the three true outcomes (Ks, BBs, and HRs), but in his 11.0 innings with the Yankees, he had an ERA of 1.64. While the Ks and BBs weren't great in New York, he didn't allow a home run in pinstripes and even pitched two clean innings in the playoffs.

One interesting reason to bring him back is that he has found his sinker and cutter, as they were his highest run values at 3. Also, for all intents and purposes, his 4-seam was fine, and if his sweeper isn't getting slugged at a .500 clip he is an interesting player to bring back.

Of every reliever featured here, Schreiber is set to be the cheapest option at $2.9 million AAV, and with the familiarity of the Royals there is a chance a reunion happens.

A.J. Puk

Puk hasn't pitched in a Major League game since April 17, 2025, but he always sports a stellar profile on Baseball Savant. He missed the 2026 season after trying to recover from a left elbow internal brace, but felt discomfort in that elbow during a rehab start in Reno. Scans showed a left shoulder capsule sprain that didn't heal properly; thus the D-Backs shut him down for the rest of 2026.

The 6'7" lefty is set to hit the market as one of the more intriguing buy-low options, as he is known as a Savant darling. Since 2023, a majority of his profile lies in the 80th percentile or better, except for groundball rate and walk rate (in one season). The concern is an obvious one of is he going to be remotely the same pitcher he was before?

While that is a concern, the Royals should be in on a guy with a great profile if his AAV projection is $1.3 million.

Other Options

There are plenty of other options that could be discussed, but I don't think readers will want a 4,000-word article, so we will rapid-fire some other options. Brian Sparks wrote about Steven Okert as an option that makes sense for the Royals.

JoJo Romero has been a consistent force in bullpens since 2023 and is a solid option for a projected AAV of $6.6 million. He isn't the flashiest and shares similar issues to the Royals bullpen, not a ton of Ks, chase, or whiffs.

Andrew Kittredge continues to rack up solid relief seasons and has an elite chase rate (100th percentile). He limits barrels and walks, but isn't great in any other facet. He can't convert that elite chase rate into Ks or whiffs and his out pitch (slider) wasn't as good in 2026 compared to previous seasons. His projected AAV is $6.9 million.

2026 was a big comeback year for Jonathan Loáisiga as he put together his second-best season as a big leaguer with the D-Backs. Similar to Puk, Loáisiga excelled in almost every facet, except for walks and whiff rate. He has one of the better sinkers in the league, via run value, and his style of pitching fits what the Royals like, grounders and weak contact. His AAV is projected to be $7.9 million.

Conclusion

The Royals' bullpen needs assistance, and this free-agent market has some intriguing talents that they should be all over. Heading into 2027, the Royals bullpen should see some new faces that stem from this list or previous FA articles.