KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Royals traded outfielder Nick Heath, who was scheduled for distribution earlier this week, to the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league pitcher Eduardo Herrera on Saturday.
Heath, 27, a motorcyclist with a spotty bat, has been in danger of joining the Royals’ major league club in recent years. He finally made his debut last year, appearing in 15 games in the short season for Kansas City.
With an excess of outfielders, however, the Royals decided to change Heath for an extra bullpen depth.
Herrera, 21, signed with Arizona as an international free agent in 2016. He began his career as a catcher and infielder, but turned into pitching two years ago, with promising results. He has not yet passed class A.