Greg Holland agrees to deal with Royals

Reliever Greg Holland is back with the Kansas City Royals, agreeing Wednesday to a minor league contract.

The 34-year-old right-hander would get a $1.25 million, one-year deal if added to the 40-man roster plus the opportunity to earn performance bonuses.

Holland was 1-2 with a 4.54 ERA last year in 40 relief appearances with Arizona, which released him on Aug. 9. He signed with Washington and pitched in eight matches at Double-A but did not get called up.

A three-time All-Star, he pitched for Kansas City from 2010-15, helping the Royals win straight AL pennants in his final two seasons.

He injured his pitching elbow in September 2015, had Tommy John surgery and missed the World Series victory over the New York Mets. He saved 47 games in 2013, 46 the following year and 32 in 2015.

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Holland has struggled in the two seasons since then, going from the Cardinals to the Nationals to the Diamondbacks.

Last year he pitched 35 2⁄3 innings with 24 walks and a 4.54 ERA with 17 saves before Arizona released him in August. Holland’s command has been off the last two seasons, with 6.1 walks-per-nine innings.

Despite a drop in average fastball velocity from 96.5 mph to 94 mph, led the NL with 41 saves. His average fastball velocity dipped to 93.5 mph in 2018 and to 91.5 mph last year.

Holland’s velocity is notably down from his days with the Royals, when he was regularly throwing in the mid-to-upper 90s. If he has anything left in the tank, the Royals will likely give him a long look as they have precious little bullpen depth or experience.

If he’s healthy, Holland could compete for late innings opportunities with fellow reclamation project Trevor Rosenthal, to set up closer Ian Kennedy.

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