Former Toronto Blue Jays reliever pitcher elects free agency

KC designated Richards for assignment earlier this week, and since he has been previously outrighted in his career, Richards had the ability to reject an outright assignment to Triple-A in favor of re-entering the open market.

As a free agent this past winter, Richards signed a minor league contract with the Cubs that didn't yield any MLB playing time, as Chicago released him in early May.

The veteran righty caught on with the Royals on another minors deal a few days later, and a 1.69 ERA over 10 2/3 innings with Triple-A Omaha earned Richards a ticket back to the big leagues last weekend.

Unfortunately, Richards allowed four runs over his three innings and three total appearances as a Royal, resulting in an ugly 12.00 ERA. Most of the damage came on June 8, as Richards was charged with three runs when he couldn't retire any of four White Sox batters faced.

While a total sample size of 18 batters isn't that much to go on, Richards allowed two walks and threw three wild pitches during his brief time in K.C.

Richards has enough MLB service time (six years and 70 days heading into the 2025 campaign) that he can't be optioned to the minors without his consent.

This makes his roster situation a little tricky going forward, and he'll almost surely be limited to minor league offers in his latest trip to free agency.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see Richards re-sign with the Royals on a new deal after he's tested the market, or the 32-year-old might seek out another stop in what has been something of an itinerant career.

Richards has a 4.54 ERA over 563 innings with six different clubs in his eight Major League seasons, beginning as a starter and then moving into long relief or swingman roles in recent years.

Is this it for Trevor Richards or will he get picked up by another team?