KANSAS CITY, Mo.— The Royals wrapped up the Trade Deadline with two last-minute deals that sent veteran pitchers to the West Coast.
Kansas City traded lefty starter Ryan Yarbrough to the Dodgers for Minor League infielder Devin Mann (L.A.'s No. 29 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) and 19-year-old shortstop Derlin Figueroa. Closer Scott Barlow is headed to the Padres; in return, the Royals acquired right-handers Henry Williams (Padres' No. 10 prospect) and Jesus Rios.
Earlier in the day, the Royals also acquired lefty reliever Tucker Davidson, who had been designated for assignment last week, from the Angels for cash considerations.
SD-KC TRADE DETAILS
Padres get: RHP Scott Barlow
Royals get: RHP Henry Williams, RHP Jesus Rios
LAD-KC TRADE DETAILS
Dodgers get: LHP Ryan Yarbrough
Royals get: INF Devin Mann, SS Derlin Figueroa
Williams was assigned to Single-A Columbia, while Rios will join the Royals’ Dominican Summer League affiliate. Mann will join Triple-A Omaha, and Figueroa will head to the Royals’ Arizona Complex League team.
The Royals recalled righties Jackson Kowar and James McArthur for Tuesday night’s game against the Mets after trading Barlow and Yarbrough.
Yarbrough, who has one more year of control after this season, missed 55 games after being struck in the face by a line drive. Since his return, he's been nothing but excellent. The 31-year-old had a 2.19 ERA in four starts during the month of July, allowing just six runs in 24 2/3 innings with 15 strikeouts and just two walks. He has a 4.24 ERA this year, but as a starter, he’s pitched to a 3.08 ERA.
Mann, 26, has appeared in 89 games for the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate, posting a .943 OPS with 33 doubles and 14 home runs. The Dodgers’ fifth-round pick in the 2018 Draft out of Louisville is a right-handed hitter who has power potential while walking at a 13% clip this season.
Figueroa turns 20 on Sept. 7 and has played 31 games for the ACL Dodgers with a .748 OPS. He was signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent in 2021 out of the Dominican and has slashed .233/.355/.379 over parts of three pro seasons.
In conversations with the Padres, the Royals had their sights set on Williams, San Diego’s third-round pick out of Duke in last season’s Draft. The 21-year-old is coming off of Tommy John surgery that he underwent before the 2022 Draft and has a 5.74 ERA with a 22% strikeout rate in 12 starts with the Padres’ Single-A affiliate.
Rios, 21, signed with the Padres out of Mexico as an international free agent in January and has made 16 relief appearances this season with a 6.38 ERA.
Barlow, who also has a year of control left, ended his Royals' tenure ranked eighth all-time among Kansas City relievers with a 6.6 bWAR. The 30-year-old morphed into one of the top closers in the American League over the past few seasons with a 2.30 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate between 2021-22. He has a 3.39 career ERA over parts of six Major League seasons after the Royals acquired him as a Minor League free agent in 2017.