KC adds Bergert, Kolek and Falter to staff, deals Fermin

KANSAS CITY – A month or even a week ago, Royals general manager J.J. Picollo did not think starting pitching depth would be such a dire need at the Trade Deadline.

By the time Thursday’s 5 p.m. CT Deadline passed, the Royals had made two separate deals to acquire three starters who will help them in 2025 and in the future.

First, the Royals traded backup catcher Freddy Fermin to the Padres for right-handed pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek. A few hours later, the Royals acquired lefty Bailey Falter from the Pirates for two Minor Leaguers: Lefty reliever Evan Sisk, who is on the 40-man roster but in Triple-A, and first baseman Callan Moss, who is in High-A Quad Cities.

TRADE DETAILS
Royals get: RHPs Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek
Padres get: C Freddy Fermin

TRADE DETAILS
Royals get: LHP Bailey Falter
Pirates get: Minor League LHP Evan Sisk, Minor League 1B Callan Moss

In the leadup to the Deadline, the Royals made moves that balanced their belief in the current roster staying in the postseason mix while also thinking about 2026 and beyond. They signaled their intention when they signed Seth Lugo to an extension earlier this week instead of trading the veteran starter.

Both of Thursday’s pitching-focused deals fit right in line with that thinking while improving what has become a huge strength for the Royals in recent years following the overhaul of their pitching department.

All three pitchers can help the Royals out right now and down the stretch.

And all three come with multiple years of control.

“When we think about trying to win now and trying to take care of the future, I think that’s what we executed today,” Picollo said. “… We made our pitching staff better today. We made our future brighter for tomorrow. And that’s really important, and we did it in a very economical way.”

The Royals will have some roster maneuvering to do when they activate Thursday’s acquisitions to the roster, which also includes outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, but all corresponding moves will be made on Friday before the series opener in Toronto. There’s a chance one of the pitchers goes to Triple-A first.

Perhaps that’s another key point: Bergert and Kolek both have three options remaining (including this year), giving the Royals better roster flexibility as they finish out the year.

Bergert, 25, made his Major League debut this season and has a 2.78 ERA across 11 games (seven starts) and 35 2/3 innings with a 1.18 WHIP. The new Royals No. 7 prospect has a 22.8% strikeout rate and 12.1% walk rate, but that walk rate was lower when he was in Triple-A earlier this year (9.2%) and Double-A last year (7.9%).

Bergert is an arm with legit rotation upside. His arsenal includes a mid-90s fastball, two different sliders and a changeup.

Kolek, 28, won’t be a free agent until 2030. He made his debut in ‘24 and posted a 5.21 ERA out of the bullpen before a forearm injury ended his season. This year, he has a 4.18 ERA across 14 starts in 79 2/3 innings with a 1.31 WHIP. He was optioned on Wednesday, but the minimum 15-day option rule doesn’t count when a player joins a new club, Picollo said.

Kolek is a sinker-heavy, ground-ball pitcher, but he has some intriguing stuff that the Royals’ pitching department could help him with, including a sweeper and kick-change.

Falter, 28, is a 6-foot-4 lefty with elite extension and five pitches. He has a 3.73 ERA in 22 starts this year with Pittsburgh with 70 strikeouts and a 1.18 WHIP across 113 1/3 innings. In 110 career appearances (81 starts) between the Phillies and Pirates, Falter has a 4.40 ERA.

Falter is making $2.2 million this season as an arbitration-eligible player but is under club control through 2028. Picollo mentioned that Royals pitching coach Brian Sweeney was Falter’s Minor League pitching coach while they were in the Phillies organization, and the Royals already have ideas on how they can further Falter’s development.

“I’ve shared with all three of these guys on the phone: They’ll soon find out what Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha and Kris Bubic and Cole Ragans have found out, and now Noah Cameron – that our pitching coaches do a really good job in developing pitchers,” Picollo said. “I think it should be an exciting thing for all three of them to work with the staff that we have.”

The Royals were searching for pitching on Thursday to help their injured rotation, with Michael Lorenzen (left oblique strain), Ragans (left rotator cuff strain) Bubic (left rotator cuff strain) on the IL. Ragans likely won’t return until September now; Bubic is out for the year.

Now Kansas City has three options to help fill the holes not only this year, but in 2026, too, diminishing its need to aggressively pursue starting pitching this winter.

The deal with San Diego was perhaps the most savvy, dealing a backup catcher for two starters, although Fermin was much more than simply a backup in Kansas City. The 30-year-old has been Salvador Perez’s right-hand man for the past three seasons, stepping up into more of a co-catcher situation as Perez plays more first base and DH. And Fermin is both a clubhouse and fan favorite because of work ethic, preparation and ability to come through in big moments, including in walk-off situations.

“That was, I will say, an emotional thing, because you’ve had Freddy since he was 20 years old and watched him grind his way through the Minor Leagues,” Picollo said. “Nobody can outwork that guy. He was a perfect partner for Salvador Perez. Salvy mentored him in a way that he’s ready to take over as a starting catcher somewhere. And he had a lot of value in the game.”

The Royals used that value to fill their big-time need at the Deadline in pitching depth. Kansas City has a plethora of catching depth in the Minors; their top two prospects, Blake Mitchell and Carter Jensen, are power-hitting backstops who rank No. 27 and No. 67, respectively, on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list.

Luke Maile will take over backup catching duties now, but Fermin’s departure both signals the Royals will likely pick up Perez’s 2026 club option and clears a path for Jensen as soon as next season. The 22-year-old Kansas City native has eight home runs in 22 Triple-A games along with a .937 OPS there.

And the Royals now have 53 games to prove that the front office’s Deadline strategy, buying for now and the future, was worth it. Kansas City is 53-54, sitting three games back of an American League Wild Card spot.

“I’m just really glad, and I know the team is, that we’re not in that position where we feel like we had to [sell],” Picollo said. “I think we have a little bit more of a complete team.”