Reliever Greg Holland re-signs with Royals
Jeffrey Flanagan
@FlannyMLBKANSAS CITY -- Cross another player off Dayton Moore¡¯s offseason wish list. The Royals' general manager was able to bring back closer Greg Holland on Monday, further stabilizing a bullpen that was a team strength in 2020.
Holland¡¯s one-year deal is worth $2.75 million, a source told MLB.com, and has $1.5 million available in performance bonuses.
Holland, 35, went 3-0 and was six-for-six in save opportunities for the Royals last season with a 1.91 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP.
Holland will rejoin a bullpen that features Josh Staumont, Scott Barlow, Kyle Zimmer, Jesse Hahn and Tyler Zuber.
¡°He anchored our bullpen, and that allowed others to settle into their roles,¡± Moore said in a Zoom call. ¡°[Manager] Mike [Matheny] feels extremely comfortable running Holly out there in any situation. It was important for us to get Holly back for next season. There¡¯s a trust level there with him. This is where he wanted to be.
¡°Greg is one of the very best competitors that we¡¯ve had in Kansas City. He¡¯s fearless in any situation. He is very resilient. He understands that if he had success the day before, it doesn¡¯t matter the next day. There are very few situations he hasn¡¯t experienced in this game, if any.¡±
Of Holland¡¯s 28 appearances, 23 were scoreless, which tied for third most in the Majors behind teammate Barlow (25) and the Angels¡¯ Mike Mayers (24).
Holland finished the season with a 13 1/3-inning scoreless streak, which spanned his final 13 appearances from Aug. 26 through season¡¯s end.
The 2020 season marked Holland¡¯s second stint with Kansas City. He spent his first six seasons with the Royals from 2010-15.
Holland ranks fourth in franchise history with 151 saves, behind only Jeff Montgomery (304), Dan Quisenberry (238) and Joakim Soria (162).
The Royals now have 38 players on their Major League 40-man roster.