Royals acquire reliever Hunter Harvey

The Royals announced they have acquired right-handed reliever Hunter Harvey from the Washington Nationals in exchange for minor league third baseman Cayden Wallace and the 39th pick in this Sunday’s draft.

Harvey has a 4.20 ERA but a 3.17 FIP with 10.0 strikeouts-per-nine innings in 43 relief outings with the Nationals. In 45 innings he has 50 strikeouts to just 12 walks. He has struggled lately, with an 8.04 ERA since the start of June and 12 runs allowed in his last 8 innings. Harvey has been much better away from Nationals Park, with opponents hitting just .198/.277/.297 against him on the road.

Harvey was originally a first-round pick by the Orioles in the 2013 draft out of high school in North Carolina, but never panned out in Baltimore. The Nationals picked him up off waivers before the 2022 season and he has a 3.17 ERA in 138 games in two and a half seasons with them, including a 2.82 ERA and 10 saves in 57 games last year.

His ability to miss bats is his big selling point. He throws a 98 mph fastball with a splitter that has a 37.8 percent whiff rate and a curve that opponents are hitting just .158 against. The 29-year-old earns $2.35 million this year and is not eligible for free agency until after the 2025 season.

Third baseman Cayden Wallace was hitting .282/.350/.427 with three home runs in 34 games for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the #2 prospect in the system, #5 by Baseball America, and Fangraphs ranked him #7. He has been out since late May with an oblique injury, recently getting into games in the Arizona Complex League.

The Royals also traded their competitive round pick in this year’s draft, the #39 pick. Competitive round picks are the only draft picks that can be traded. Two years ago the Royals traded the #35 pick to the Braves for Drew Waters, Andrew Hoffman, and CJ Alexander.

Royals relievers collectively have a 4.30 ERA with the second-lowest strikeout rate of any bullpen. To make room on the roster, the Royals designated Nick Anderson for assignment. Anderson had a 4.04 ERA in 37 games, but with a low strikeout rate.