Dallas Keuchel, Royals Reportedly Agree to Minor League Contract, Won 2015 Cy Young

Former Cy Young award winner Dallas Keuchel could attempt to make his MLB comeback with the Kansas City Royals.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Wednesday that the Royals have agreed to a minor league deal that will send Keuchel to the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers.

The left-handed pitcher would make a prorated $2 million if he gets promoted to the MLB roster, Passan noted.

Knuechel, who won the Cy Young with the Houston Astros in 2015, played in four MLB games in 2024 before the Milwaukee Brewers designated him for assignment.

The Seattle Mariners signed Keuchel to a minor-league deal ahead of the 2024 season. Keuchel posted a 3.93 ERA in 13 strong starts for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers before he was traded to a Brewers squad looking for pitchers to fill in for an injured rotation.

Milwaukee moved on from the starter after he posted a 5.40 ERA in 16 2/3 innings pitched. Keuchel chose free agency after clearing waivers.

Since then, Keuchel has not played professional baseball at any level. Passan reported that the 37-year-old was throwing pitches of up to 92 mph during a recent workout.

Keuchel has played similarly brief stretches in MLB with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins between 2022 and 2023.

He has yet to find a long-term fit as a starter since seeing his efficiency drop midway through the three-year, $55.5 million deal he signed with the Chicago White Sox in free agency ahead of the 2020 campaign.

Keuchel earned that deal by pitching a 3.33 ERA through 164 games with the Houston Astros, with whom he won the 2017 World Series, and the Atlanta Braves between 2014 and 2019.

He was one of the best left-handed pitchers in MLB during that time, recording a strikeout rate of just under 20 percent and a ground ball rate of 59.9 percent over the stretch, per Baseball Reference.

Since the start of his second season with the White Sox in 2021, however, Keuchel has seen his pitch velocity plummet (h/t Baseball Savant) while recording a combined 6.24 ERA through 60 games with five different clubs at the MLB level.

Keuchel isn't the only veteran pitcher the Royals have added to their minor-league ranks so far this season. Rich Hill, who has appeared in 20 MLB seasons for 13 different clubs, signed a minor-league deal with the Royals in May at age 45.