Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel (60) pitches against the Washington Nationals in the first inning at American Family Field. Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Kansas City Royals Sign Former Cy Young Dallas Keuchel to Minor League Contract

Originally posted on Minor League Baseball on SI
By Sam Connon | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 10:42 AM ET

The Kansas City Royals have signed veteran left-handed pitcher Dallas Keuchel to a minor league contract, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Wednesday morning.

Keuchel, 37, will start with Triple-A Omaha. Should he earn a big league call-up, the southpaw would cash in on a prorated $2 million salary.

While he has 13 seasons of big league experience, two All-Star appearances, five Gold Gloves, a World Series ring and a Cy Young to his name, Keuchel has yet to pitch in a game in 2025. He split 2024 between the Milwaukee Brewers' starting rotation, the Seattle Mariners' Triple-A affiliate and the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball.

Keuchel posted a 5.40 ERA, 1.860 WHIP, 5.9 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.0 WAR in four MLB outings last season. Between Triple-A and Japan, he went 9-8 with a 3.81 ERA, 1.243 WHIP and 6.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Former Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel and the Kansas City Royals are in agreement on a minor league contract, sources tell ESPN. Keuchel, 37, held a workout last week and was up to 92 mph. He’ll start at AAA and if he gets to the big leagues would make $2 million prorated.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 9, 2025

Keuchel is best known for his stint with the Houston Astros between 2012 and 2018. From 2014 to 2020, he went 81-55 with a 3.25 ERA, 1.191 WHIP, 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings and a 21.9 WAR.

While he continued to put up solid production with the Atlanta Braves in 2019 and the Chicago White Sox in 2020, Keuchel's numbers fell off a cliff from there. Between 2021 and 2024, Keuchel went 13-19 with a 6.24 ERA, 1.686 WHIP, 5.7 strikeouts per nine innings and a -2.6 WAR, taking the mound for the White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins and Brewers in that time.

The Royals currently have a full rotation of Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic, Michael Wacha, Michael Lorenzen and Noah Cameron. Should any of them go down, Keuchel is about as experienced of a replacement as the Royals could get.

This article first appeared on Minor League Baseball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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