Braves trade former 20-game winner Kyle Wright to Royals in another offseason move

The Royals and Braves added another trade between them on what was a busy Friday for both teams.

On the same day the Royals added reliever Nick Anderson in a deal with Atlanta, the clubs traded two former first-round pitchers with Kyle Wright headed to Kansas City for Jackson Kowar.

Wright, 28, arrives with three arbitration-eligible years and is not a free agent until 2027.

The Royals are likely not going to see Wright pitch in the 2024 season after he underwent right shoulder surgery in October.

However, he could be be of value in the long-term.

He led the majors with 21 wins and posted a strong 3.19 ERA in 2022, making him the first Braves pitcher to lead the league in wins since Tom Glavine did so in 2000.

The right-hander also played a big role in the 2021 World Series for the Braves when he allowed only one run over 5 1/3 innings of relief against the Astros.

Wright was drafted as the No. 5 overall pick of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Vanderbilt University and has totaled a 4.45 ERA over six seasons.

Kowar is heading out of Kansas City without accomplishing what the team had hoped when the team drafted him as the No. 33 overall pick in the 2018 draft out of the University of Florida.

Over three big league seasons, Kowar has carried a dismal 9.12 ERA across 39 games, including eight starts, over 74 innings.

To try to switch things up, Kowar was moved to the bullpen in 2023, but he ultimately couldn’t hold a command over the plate, walking 20 batters in 28 innings.

 

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