The Kansas City Royals are once again having a productive offseason, but their work is not yet done.

Before most teams have made a single consistent move, the Royals have already made two. They signed reliable starter Michael Wacha to a three-year extension and then traded another starter, Brady Singer, for a new leadoff hitter, second baseman Jonathan India.

However, if the Royals want to establish themselves as World Series contenders in 2025, there are still more holes to fill. And the bullpen that fell to the New York Yankees in the playoffs should be at the top of the list.

Aside from closer Lucas Erceg, who is relatively inexperienced in his role, the Royals have very little high-leverage depth. A Boston Red Sox veteran could be the perfect solution to this mystery.

Recently, Just Baseball’s Caleb Moody named former Red Sox setup man Chris Martin as a top target for the Royals to bolster the back end of their bullpen for the upcoming season.

“Chris Martin was a key piece in the late innings of the Red Sox bullpen last year. And he’s had that level of quality for six straight seasons now,” Moody said. “Martin has posted ERAs under 3.50 in five of the last six years, and in the 2021 season in which he failed to do so, he still remained at an ERA under 4.00.”

“The 38-year-old has delivered these performances for the majority of his career, meaning the Royals would be wise to take a stab at signing a bright veteran like him.”

Martin was an integral part of the Red Sox during his two-year contract, which cost Boston a total of just $13.5 million. He had an MLB-best 1.05 ERA among pitchers who threw at least 50 innings in 2023, then backed that up with a 3.45 ERA in a slightly injury-shortened season in 2024.

If the Royals manage to sign Martin to a one-year deal, they will have a much better outlook at the end of the games of a season in which they hope to compete for the championship. That’s a worthwhile expense for any team, especially a small team hoping to build a dynasty.

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