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Connor Seabold Elects Free Agency After Brief Stint in Kansas City
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- Connor Seabold Elects Free Agency After Brief Stint in Kansas City
(William Purnell-Imagn Images)
Connor Seabold's time with the Kansas City Royals lasted only a few months, leaving the right-hander facing another decision about where his major league career goes from here.
The Royals outrighted Seabold to Triple-A Omaha on Thursday, according to the latest MiLB transaction report. Rather than remain in the organization, Seabold elected minor-league free agency. A decision that allows him to seek a new organization after spending much of the 2026 season moving between clubs.
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Kansas City acquired Seabold from the Toronto Blue Jays in mid-June in exchange for cash and pitching prospect Denis Samudio. At the time, the Royals wanted a pitcher to help them cover innings, and manager Matt Quatraro saw Seabold as someone they could count on.
"Another guy with some experience to be able to fit in the middle of the game," Quatraro said soon after acquiring him, via The Kansas City Star's Jaylon Thompson . "Give us some length at times."
That flexibility was part of the appeal. Seabold had spent much of his professional career working as a starter or swingman, giving Kansas City an option who could provide length when the bullpen needed it. The move offered him another opportunity to stay in the majors after an unsettled start to the season.
The results in Kansas City, however, left questions about what his next role might look like.
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Seabold recorded a 5.25 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP across 24 major league innings in 2026, striking out 20 batters while issuing 11 walks. He also missed the final three months of the season with a right lat strain, although he made rehabilitation appearances in September.
His limited time on the field makes it difficult to separate his performance from the circumstances surrounding his season. Still, the numbers leave him looking for a way to establish himself with another club rather than enter the offseason with a clear path back to Kansas City.
Seabold's brief stop with the Royals was only one part of a season spent searching for stability. Toronto acquired him from Detroit in May, and he appeared in 3.1 innings for the Blue Jays before being moved again the following month. He allowed three earned runs on six hits in those appearances.
Across parts of five major league seasons, Seabold has logged 143 innings with a career 7.36 ERA. He has continued to draw opportunities from different organizations, but translating those chances into sustained major league production has remained a challenge.
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Free agency gives Seabold another opening to change that trajectory. His September rehab stint should allow him to approach the offseason with a relatively normal preparation period, striking out five without giving up a run in four appearances in Omaha.
Seabold once again prepares for a new home after a three-stop journey in 2026, looking to find another organization willing to give him the opportunity he has yet to turn into a lasting major league role.
