left handed Jay Groom and right handed nate web Signed with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Independent American Association. The league itself announced the Groome deal this week and the Monarchs announced the Webb deal.
Groome, 27, was once a hot prospect. The Red Sox drafted him 12th overall in 2016, and he initially performed well at the lower levels of the minor leagues. Baseball America ranked him as the league’s No. 43 prospect in 2017.
His stock fell from there. He had a 5.69 ERA on the farm in 2017 and missed most of 2018 and 2019 due to Tommy John surgery. The minor leagues were canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19. Despite his rough patch in those years, the Sox offered him a 40-man spot in November 2020 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. Groom had an ERA of 4.81 in 2021. Things went a little better in 2022, when he switched from the Red Sox to the Padres. Eric Hosmer transaction. Between the two clubs, he posted a 3.44 ERA in the minor leagues that year.
But there were more speed bumps ahead. He performed badly in Triple A in 2023, recording an ERA of 8.55. In the summer of 2024, he was one of four players who received a one-year suspension for betting on major league games while playing in the minor leagues. The Padres did not non-tender him when his suspension expired in June 2025. Groom is clearly not as attractive as he was 10 years ago, but being only 27 years old, it is not out of the realm of possibility that he could return to his club.
Like Groom, Webb also spent time on the 40-man roster but never appeared in a big league game. Now 28 years old, he was a 34th round pick of the Royals in 2016. In 2021, the strikeout rate of batters faced in the minor leagues was 37.7%. Even though he had yet to make Double-A, the Royals didn’t want to lose him. They added him to their 40-man roster in November 2021 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.
Unfortunately, he suffered some injuries in 2022 and posted a terrible 9.99 ERA on the farm that year. The Royals non-tendered him just one year after making the 40-man selection. He signed a minor league contract with the Pirates, but the 2023 season was canceled due to Tommy John surgery.
He signed a two-year contract with the Orioles for 2024 and 2025, but was unable to pitch in the first year due to surgery on his left Achilles tendon. He was back on the mound in 2025, but his 17.1% walk rate was almost as good as his 17.6% strikeout rate, and he posted a 4.70 ERA on the year. Like Groom, he is still a few years away from his 30th birthday, so a strong performance in Indy Bowl could lead to a return to the affiliate.
Photo credit: Gaby Velasquez, Imagn Images
