Spring training battles: The bullpen

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesThe Royals had the third-worst bullpen ERA in baseball last year, shuttling through 31 different relievers, most in franchise history (in fairness, this is in part from using the opener). They are looking to provide more stability in the late innings this year, with the addition of veteran relievers to allow their younger arms more room to develop.

The locks

The Royals added four veterans this off-season - Will Smith, Nick Anderson, Chris Stratton, and John Schreiber. Will Smith’s 4.40 ERA last year for the champion Rangers may not seem impressive, but his FIP was 3.36 suggesting his ERA was a bit inflated from a very low left-on-base rate. His…