Kansas City Royals and pitcher Jordan Lyles reportedly closing in on contract

The Kansas City Royals are closing in on another veteran pitcher to add to their young pitching corps, the second addition in a week.

Right-handed starting pitcher Jordan Lyles, 32, and the Royals were closing in on a two-year free-agent deal late Monday night, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.

Lyles registered a 12-11 record with a 4.42 ERA, 144 strikeouts and 52 walks in 32 starts (179 innings), including one complete game, for the Baltimore Orioles last season. He also had a 2.77-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 6.7% walk percentage.

Royals starters posted a walk rate of 8.3 percent, the seventh-highest of any club in the majors, in 2022.

Lyles’ 179 innings surpassed Brady Singer’s Royals-leading total by more than 25 innings.

In the past two seasons, Lyles has posted a 22-24 record with 4.79 ERA in 64 games (62 starts) and 359 innings.

He struck out 290 and walked 108 during that stretch with a strikeout rate of 7.3 strikeouts per 9 innings and a walk rate of 2.7 per 9 innings.

A former first-round draft pick of the Houston Astros (2008), Lyles has made 214 career starts (321 appearances) in stints with the Astros, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers and Orioles.

Lyles’ addition comes on the heels of the Royals having signed former Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Ryan Yarbrough, who has both started and relieved in the majors.

Both signings appear aimed at providing experience and proven innings accumulators as well as pitchers with track records of lower walk rates than the Royals’ inexperienced starters have posted in recent seasons.