Royals reunite with former All-Star pitcher Matt Strahm in a trade with the Phillies

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals reunited with veteran left-hander Matt Strahm on Friday, acquiring the former All-Star from the Philadelphia Phillies in a trade for right-hander Jonathan Bowlan in a move that each club hopes will improve their bullpen.

The 34-year-old Strahm was drafted by the Royals in 2012 out of Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kansas, and he went on to spend his first two big league seasons with them. Strahm has spent the past three years in Philadelphia.

“We've been saying all along we need to address our outfield and raise the floor of our outfield,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said, “but also on our list was our bullpen. We've been able to address it probably in a timetable quicker than we thought.”

The Royals have been among the busiest clubs already this offseason.

Last week, they traded left-hander Angel Zerpa to Milwaukee for outfielder Isaac Collins and right-hander Nick Mears. They also signed outfielder Lane Thomas to a $5.25 million contract for next season and locked up All-Star third baseman Michael Garcia with a $57.5 million, five-year deal that includes a team option for 2031 and bonus provisions that could take the deal to $85.3 million.

The move to reunite with Strahm gives them a veteran left-hander with potent swing-and-miss ability.

"After two years with the Royals, he pitched for the Padres, Red Sox and the past three years in Philadelphia, where he was an All-Star in 2024 with a 1.87 ERA over 66 appearances. He also made 66 appearances with a 2.74 ERA this past season.

Strahm has a $7.5 million salary next season under an option that vested, part of a deal that is paying him $15 million for 2025 and 2026. He can become a free agent following the 2026 World Series.

“Honestly, I was telling J.J., it kind of feels like a movie to me,” Strahm said. “It all started in Kansas City and then it's gone full-circle. With my family I've been talking about my montage of spring training pics over 10 years. It's going to be a good one, going from Royal to Royal. So it's going to be cool.”

The Phillies also have been busy working on their pitching staff for the upcoming season.

On Thursday, they finalized a two-year, $22 million contract with right-hander Brad Keller, who was 4-2 with a career-low 2.07 ERA in 68 appearances for the Cubs last season. Keller will get a $4 million signing bonus, half payable upon the contract’s approval by Major League Baseball and half in October, along with salaries of $7 million next year and $11 million in 2027

The 29-year-old Bowlan has pitched in parts of the past three seasons for Kansas City, fighting numerous injuries along the way. He made one start and appeared in a career-best 34 games this past season, going 1-2 and posting a 3.86 ERA.

Hours after the Strahm-for-Bowlan swap with the Royals, the Phillies announced they had acquired left-hander Kyle Backhus — who made 32 appearances for the Arizona Diamondbacks last season — for minor league outfielder Avery Owusu-Asiedu.

Phillies general manager Dave Dombrowski said the collection of moves was intended to fortify the pitching staff, but it would have no bearing on what the club does the rest of the offseason. The biggest remaining item on its to-do list is help behind the plate.

“You're always cognizant of where your payroll will be,” Dombrowski said. “We still have the ability to do some things. We're still looking for a catcher, first and foremost. But this doesn't have anything to do with us having more or less money to go ahead and spend for a catch. That's been our thought process all winter long.”

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FILE - Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Jonathan Bowlan throws during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the against the Toronto Blue Jays, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

FILE - Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Matt Strahm throws during the seventh inning in Game 2 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military will stop its practice of shooting pigs and goats to help prepare medics for treating wounded troops in a combat zone, ending an exercise made obsolete by simulators that mimic battlefield injuries.

The prohibition on “live fire” training that includes animals is part of this year’s annual defense bill, although other uses of animals for wartime training will continue The ban was championed by Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Florida Republican who often focuses on animal rights issues.

Buchanan called the change “a major step forward in reducing unnecessary suffering in military practices.”

“With today’s advanced simulation technology, we can prepare our medics for the battlefield while reducing harm to animals,” he said in a statement to The Associated Press. “As Co-Chair of the Animal Protection Caucus, I’m proud to continue leading efforts to end outdated and inhumane practices.”

Buchanan’s office said the Defense Department will continue to allow training that involves stabbing, burning and using blunt instruments on animals, while also allowing “weapon wounding," which is when the military tests weapons on animals. Animal rights groups say the animals are supposed to be anesthetized during such training and testing.

The Defense Health Agency, which oversees the training, said in a statement Friday that the Defense Department, "remains committed to replacement of animal models without compromising the quality of medical training.”

The agency cited the establishment of its Defense Medical Modeling and Simulation Office as a testament to those efforts, which include "realistic training scenarios to ensure medical providers are well-prepared to care for the combat-wounded.”

Groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals declared victory, saying the change will spare the lives of thousands of animals each year and “marks a historic shift toward state-of-the-art, human-relevant simulation technology.”

It's unclear how often the military uses animals for training. Previous defense bills and other pieces of legislation have sought to reduce their use for trauma training, according to a 2022 report from the Government Accountability Office, an independent agency that serves Congress.

The 2013 defense bill required the Pentagon to submit a report that outlined a strategy for transitioning to human-based training methods, the GAO said. A 2018 statute required the secretary of defense to ensure the military used simulation technology “to the maximum extent practicable” or unless use of animals was deemed necessary by the medical chain of command.

The GAO report stated the animals are placed under anesthesia and then euthanized.

“Live animals such as pigs and goats are used in trauma training because their organs and tissues are similar to humans, they have biological variation that can complicate treatment and provide opportunities to control medical conditions,” the report stated.

But groups such as the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine say anesthetized pigs and goats do little to prepare medics or corpsmen for treating wounded servicemembers. They said the advent of “cut suits” that are worn by people are much better at mimicking an injured human who is moaning and writhing.

"The big argument is this is a living, breathing thing that they have to take care of and there’s this level of realism," said Erin Griffith, a retired Navy doctor and member of the physicians committee. “But replicating what it’s like when their buddy is shot and bleeding and awake is very different.”

The seal is seen on a podium at the Pentagon, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, in Washington, before Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)