Former Astros Cy Young Winner Earns Shot at 14th MLB Season With Royals

A former Houston Astros standout is getting a shot at his 14th MLB season after signing a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.

ESPN's Jeff Passan broke the news on Wednesday morning that former AL Cy Young winner and Astros World Series champion Dallas Keuchel was signing a minor league contract with the Royals.

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Keuchel has actually bounced around the MLB for the past couple of years, but has clearly not been the same pitcher that he used to be.

The 37-year-old has gotten up to 92 MPH on his fastball during training, per Passan. Even during his best years in Houston, he was averaging around 89 MPH.

Velocity was never going to be the question for Keuchel; it's mostly about what his stuff plays like and if he can hit his spots.

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Over the first seven years of his career, all with the Astros, he posted a 3.66 ERA with a 1.250 WHIP and 7.2 K/9. He made two All-Star teams and took home the AL Cy Young in 2015.

Since his time in Houston came to a close after 2019, he has played for six different teams and has only made more than 10 starts in half of the campaigns.

Dating back to 2021, his numbers have jumped up to a 6.24 ERA with a 1.686 WHIP and 5.7 K/9. He can still generate his fair share of ground balls, but he gives up a ton of hits.

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Keuchel will need to prove that he has unlocked something else in his game if he wants to make it back to the Majors past just a spot start this year.

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