Royals sign reliever Peter Moylan to minor league deal

The Royals have announced they have signed 37-year old right-handed reliever Peter Moylan to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. The Australian-born Moylan is a side-armer with 331 career Major League appearances, all in relief. Moylan was signed out of the Australian leagues by the Braves in 2006, when Dayton Moore was still with Atlanta. In nine big league seasons, he has a 2.83 ERA and 6.9 strikeouts-per-nine innings.

Moylan has been a submariner most of his career, although recently he has begun throwing a more side-arm delivery. He induces a very high ground ball rate of 61% for his career, with a very low home run rate of 0.57 per-nine innings according to Fangraphs. His career has been ravaged by injuries however, causing him most of 2008 and 2012, and the entire 2014 season. He has suffered a torn rotator cuff, and spent much of last year rehabilitating from his second Tommy John surgery. He did appear in 22 games for the Braves last season, with a 3.48 ERA in 10 1/3 innings pitched.

Moylan and Kris Medlen are very close friends. #Royals https://t.co/pOf71xbJIE

— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) January 22, 2016