Royals' Jake Diekman: Signs with Royals

Diekman signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract with the Royals on Wednesday, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports. The deal includes a mutual option for 2020.

Diekman opened the 2018 campaign with the Rangers, posting a 3.69 ERA and 11.1 K/9 across 39.0 innings before being dealt to the Diamondback prior to the trade deadline. The southpaw struggled with Arizona, but is a solid bounce-back candidate in 2019 given his overall body of work over the past three seasons (3.92 ERA and 10.6 K/9 across 117 innings). Diekman should fill a high-leverage role for the Royals.