Royals Bolster Pitching Depth by Signing Veteran Left-Hander Matt Moore to Minor League Deal
The Kansas City Royals have added an experienced arm to their organizational depth, officially announcing on Saturday that veteran left-handed pitcher Matt Moore has signed a minor league contract. The move gives the Royals an opportunity to evaluate a proven major league pitcher who is looking to revive his career after spending the entire 2025 season away from MLB competition.
Moore, who recently celebrated his 37th birthday, has enjoyed a lengthy and eventful professional career spanning more than a decade. Although he has not appeared in a Major League game since the 2024 campaign with the Los Angeles Angels, the Royals are hoping the experienced southpaw can rediscover the form that once made him one of baseball’s brightest young stars.
The left-hander’s most recent attempt to return to the majors came in February 2025 when he signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox. However, his stint with the organization was brief. Moore never took the mound for Triple-A Worcester before being released in early April, leaving him without a team for the remainder of the season. Now, Kansas City is offering him another opportunity to work his way back to the big leagues.
Moore’s baseball journey began when the Tampa Bay Rays selected him in the eighth round of the 2007 MLB Draft. After progressing through the Rays’ farm system, he made his highly anticipated Major League debut on September 14, 2011. It did not take long for him to showcase his immense potential. Just a few appearances into his professional career, Moore delivered one of the most memorable performances of his early years by throwing seven scoreless innings against the Texas Rangers in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, immediately establishing himself as a pitcher capable of thriving under postseason pressure.
His impressive introduction to the majors only strengthened the hype surrounding him. Entering the 2012 season, Moore was widely regarded as the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball. He justified much of that excitement during his first full MLB campaign by striking out 175 batters over 177⅓ innings, demonstrating the swing-and-miss ability that made him one of the game’s premier young arms.
The following season marked the peak of Moore’s early career. At just 24 years old, he earned his first and only MLB All-Star selection after compiling an outstanding 17-4 record with a 3.29 ERA across 150⅓ innings. His dominant performances also earned him votes in the American League Cy Young Award race, further cementing his status as one of the league’s emerging stars.
Unfortunately, injuries soon altered the trajectory of his career. Moore underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014, a significant setback that proved difficult to overcome. Although he returned to the mound, he struggled to consistently recapture the effectiveness that defined his early seasons.
Between 2017 and 2021, Moore suited up for several organizations, including the San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, and Philadelphia Phillies. During that stretch, he posted a 5.89 ERA over 359⅓ innings, while also spending part of the 2020 season pitching overseas for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan, an experience that added another chapter to his professional résumé.
Despite those struggles, Moore managed to reinvent himself later in his career by transitioning into a full-time relief role. The move paid immediate dividends in 2022 while pitching for Texas. Working out of the bullpen, he recorded an impressive 1.95 ERA with 83 strikeouts across 74 innings in 63 appearances, emerging as one of the league’s more reliable relievers that season.
His success continued over the next two years. Across four different clubs during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Moore combined for an excellent 2.20 ERA over 126⅔ relief innings, proving he could still provide quality innings despite no longer serving as a starting pitcher. In 2023 alone, he appeared in 50 games while spending time with the Los Angeles Angels, Cleveland Guardians, and Miami Marlins, showcasing his value as an experienced bullpen option.
However, his momentum slowed during the 2024 campaign. Pitching primarily for the Angels, Moore finished the season with a 5.03 ERA over 51 appearances, covering 48⅓ innings before a forearm injury prematurely ended his season on August 25. The injury ultimately contributed to him sitting out the entire 2025 season after failing to secure another major league opportunity.
Now, the Royals are hoping that a healthy Moore can once again become a valuable contributor. While he will begin in the minor leagues, his extensive experience, postseason pedigree, and previous success as a reliever make him an intriguing depth option for Kansas City’s pitching staff.
Should Moore earn a promotion back to the Major Leagues, the Royals would become the ninth different MLB organization he has represented during a career that has featured remarkable highs, significant adversity, and multiple reinventions. For both Moore and Kansas City, the signing represents a low-risk opportunity that could pay meaningful dividends if the veteran left-hander is able to rediscover the form that once made him one of baseball’s most highly regarded pitchers.
