There is no getting around it, The Royals had an absolutely atrocious bullpen this year. Even their long-time reliable closer Scott Barlow struggled for long stretches. When you looked in the Royals minor leagues, there didn’t seem to be a lot of help available either. And when you looked around the league, it seemed to just be chock full of former Royals relievers who were having a wonderful time.
Barlow himself bounced back with the Padres after a rough start with them. Joel Payamps had an excellent season with the Brewers. Gabe Speier was above average in Seattle.