By Jordan Long
The Kansas City Royals hope they upgraded their bullpen with the addition of free agent pitcher Greg Holland. It is a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training for him to earn a spot on the roster. If he makes the Royals’ opening day roster, Holland will make $1.25 million and could earn another $1.125 million in performance bonuses.
Holland started his career with the Royals from 2010 to 2015. He was one of the best closers in the game at the time. With the Royals, he saved 145 games and blew 16 games in that stretch. His top year with the Royals was in 2013 when Holland totaled 47 saves. The Royals trusted him late in games to earn the victory. Kansas City went to the postseason three times with him, winning the World Series in 2015. He didn’t pitch in the 2015 World Series run because he had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. The Royals allowed him to become a free agent in 2016 and he focused on rehabbing the elbow, forcing him to miss the 2016 season.
In 2017, the Colorado Rockies took a chance on him. They didn’t know how healthy he was. Holland agreed to a 1-year contract and posted 41 saves in that season with an ERA of 3.61 but the Rockies didn’t know which Holland would show up from game to game. There were times Holland didn’t allow a hit. Other times, he gave up hits and runs, blowing 4 games. Colorado wanted to keep him for the 2017 season but he declined.
On March 29th, 2018 Holland agreed to a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. It was 1-year worth $14 million. He didn’t last in St. Louis. He pitched in 32 games but couldn’t seem to locate his pitches. Hitters smacked the ball for base hits and those equaled traffic on the base paths. Holland didn’t have a save but blew 3 opportunities and ended with a 7.92 era.
The Cardinals let him go on July 28th, 2018 because his inability to pitch. He wasn’t out of work long. The Washington Nationals picked him up on August 6th, 2018. He finished the year with them. With Washington, he was an improved pitcher. He appeared in 24 games with a record of 3-4. Holland was able to locate his pitches to strike batters out with 25. His ERA was 0.89. Washington decided to move on from Holland after the 2018 season.
In the 2019 offseason, the Arizona Diamondbacks became the 4th team to take a gamble on Holland. He pitched in 40 games but couldn’t seem to help Arizona late in games. Holland managed 17 saves but blew 5 games. Arizona decided to cut Holland on August 7th, 2019 because they couldn’t trust him. He didn’t pitch again in Major League Baseball for the rest of the year.
Kansas City is taking a risk. They hope to have the Holland who pitched for them in 2013 and 2014. In those seasons, Holland saved 47 and 46 games. Holland must prove in Spring Training he can strike batters out and not allow hits or runs. If he looks like the pitcher from 2019, the Royals will cut him.
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