All four of those teams project to have a lack of starting pitching depth from here on out, and Bubic could turn any of them into World Series contenders. The Cubs and Red Sox both have surpluses of young outfielders, so they're particularly well-suited to trade with a Royals team that currently possesses the weakest outfield in the sport.

"From what I was the first couple years I was here to what I am now," Bubic says, "... I don't consider myself the same person or same pitcher as I was then."

At the end of the 2022 season, Kris Bubic was searching for answers. Bubic’s ERA ballooned to 5.58 that season on a 97-loss team. As the Royals went through organizational changes, Bubic knew he had to change,

Bubic (8-6) allowed three hits and a walk over five scoreless innings Sunday, striking out two and earning a win over the Marlins.

The Kansas City Royals won their first game following the All-Star break to salvage the series against the Miami Marlins with a 7-4 victory, on Sunday. Pitching and hitting, both, came together for skipper Matt Quatraro in the series finale win,

The Royals, who will try to avoid a three-game series sweep on Sunday at the Miami Marlins, went 7-3 in their final 10 contests prior to the All-Star break. "We have to be more consistent on the little things -- moving runners, backing up bases," Quatraro said. "These are things that don't show up on the box score.

PITCHING PROBABLES: Royals: Kris Bubic (7-6, 2.48 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 113 strikeouts); Marlins: Janson Junk (4-1, 2.68 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 38 strikeouts)

One year ago to the day, the Royals activated Kris Bubic from the 60-day injured list, adding the lefty to their bullpen after a year-plus of recovery from Tommy John surgery. They didn’t know what to expect following the elbow surgery,

The Cubs have now won four of their last six following a weekend series win over the Red Sox. Chicago was denied a sweep of Boston yesterday as the Sox salvaged the series with a 6-1 win at Wrigley. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Dansby Swanson each collected a couple of hits in the loss. Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

Now that the All-Star game is over, the second half of the regular season will begin on Friday, with playoff pushes intensifying. The Trade Deadline is also looming at the end of this month, which will reset the landscape for the league ahead of the postseason.