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Royals acquire pitcher Zach Willeman as compensation for the Danny Duffy trade

The Royals announced they have acquired right-handed pitcher Zach Willeman from the Los Angeles Dodgers as the player to be named later in the Danny Duffy trade back in July. Duffy did not throw a single pitch for the Dodgers due to a strained flexor.

Willeman was a reliever at Kent State in Ohio until his junior year when he posted a 4.91 ERA in 66 innings. But he brought a high-90s fastball that made him a 19th round pick by the Dodgers in 2017. He would not pitch professionally that season and most of the next due to Tommy John surgery, and he struggled in A ball in 2019 with a 5.