Kansas City Royals Rumors: Five corner outfield options
The Kansas City Royals are all in for 2017. They appear to be looking for some corner outfield help. Who are some options they could trade before before the trade deadline on Monday?
The hottest team in baseball is the Kansas City Royals. They had the worst record in the sport in April, and now they find themselves just two games behind the Cleveland Indians and having one of the American League Wild Card spots.
This is the last ride for this club, because they have so many players who are going to be free agents after the season and they won’t have the ability to keep them all long term. It’s all about 2017 as the showed with their trade earlier in the week to upgrade the pitching staff.
It appears to be a buyer’s market for outfielders, especially corner ones and the Royals appear to be looking for an upgrade there.
#Royals are contemplating adding a corner OF bat for stretch run. Two possibilities: #Phillies Howie Kendrick and #Whitesox Melky Cabrera.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 28, 2017
While Kendrick is no longer an option since he was traded to the Nationals, they could use an upgrade here. Jorge Soler was supposed to be after coming over in the off-season in a trade with the Chicago Cubs for Wade Davis. Soler started the season hurt and is in the minors after hitting just .154. Alex Gordon has hit just .201 in 90 games thus far this season.
Jorge Bonifacio has been pretty good in right, but it appears the Royals want to get a bit deeper in that spot.
So who could the Royals pick up before Monday at 4PM ET? Let’s take a look.
Melky Cabrera
One of the few veterans that has survived the purge in Chicago so far has been Melky Cabrera. Entering play last night, Cabrera has put together a pretty solid season thus far for the White Sox, hitting .289 with a .761 OPS 13 homers and 56 RBI in 96 games.
Cabrera would be a free agent after this season, so there is no long term commitment for the Kansas City Royals, especially since they have to hope Soler will rebound and be a part of their outfield moving forward like they intended.
The Royals don’t have a great farm system, but someone like Cabrera shouldn’t cost a big prospect. It’s not like they are trading for Chris Sale or Jose Quintana. Cabrera is making $15 million this season, so he would have about $5 million to go for the rest of the season.
Cabrera is someone with postseason experience and a switch-hitter with some pop. He would not be a bad pick up for the Royals to grab to strengthen their corner outfield position and give them a different look in their batting order for the last two months.
If the Royals want to add someone who can play all three outfield positions, has left-handed pop, will be good in the clubhouse and would be okay with being in a platoon, then they could look to Curtis Granderson, who they saw a lot of during the 2015 World Series.
Granderson has seen his playing time diminish lately this season with the emergence of Michael Conforto and Yoenis Cespedes getting back to health. Going into last night, in 94 games, he’s hit just .225 with a .780 OPS.
Granderson, like Cabrera in his the last year of his deal and is making $15 million this year. He’s done pretty well against lefties, hitting .247 against them thus far this year, so he could end up spelling Gordon in left field against southpaws in left field and back up the entire outfield. Not a bad fourth outfielder to have down the stretch.
Granderson isn’t what he once was, but the Royals don’t need him to be that guy were they to trade for him.
OF Jay Bruce
If the Kansas City Royals want to make that sexy splash and get another big left-handed slugger to go with Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer then the bat they should get is Jay Bruce from the New York Mets.
Coming into last night, Bruce has hit .262 with an .847 OPS, 26 homers and 70 RBI thus far this season.
Bruce is a run producer and a power bat, but would the Royals want to be that lefty heavy in the middle of their order? It could leave them susceptible to left-handers like Chris Sale and Dallas Keuchel and left-handed relievers in late game situations.
Bruce is in the last year of his deal and is making $13 million this year. A big season, followed by an impressive postseason could set up the 30 year old for a nice pay day in his first shot at free agency in his career.
There hasn’t been that much interest in his thus far, however, with roughly 48 hours to the deadline, everything can change and a team can view a bat like this as a final piece to a playoff puzzle like the Mets did last season.
OF Carlos Gomez
If the Texas Rangers end up dealing Yu Darvish, they should deal other players with expiring contracts as well. That would include outfielder Carlos Gomez. The 31- year old is set to hit the free agent market again, after trying to revive his career in Texas after being cut by the Houston Astros last season.
Gomez has missed some time this year, and going into last night, he’s hit .245 with a .787 OPS, 13 homers and 36 RBI and a 1.5 WAR in 71 games. Gomez hasn’t had a lot of success vs lefties this year, with a .241 average with just a .667 OPS, albeit better than Gordon has been.
He’s been good for 1 defensive run saved thus far in the field.
Gomez is capable of playing all three positions and if the Kansas City Royals were to acquire him, maybe he can fulfill the old Jarrod Dyson role on their previous pennant winning teams. Come in and pinch run then go out and play right field late in games for example.
Gomez signed for $11.5 million this year, so he would be the cheaper option for the Royals.
UTIL- Steve Pearce
Even though he is signed through next year, Steve Pearce could be a candidate for the Kansas City Royals. Pearce has a salary of $6 million this year and next, so it isn’t totally cost prohibitive and gives them another piece for next year at the same time.
Pearce can play first, the corner outfield spots and even has some time manning second. He’s hitting .268 with a .774 OPS in 57 games thus far this season.
In his career against lefties, Pearce is a .265 hitter, however this year, he has hit just .224 against them. Unlike the other names on this list, his versatility could prove to be a bonus.
If I am the Royals, and I know that I’m just looking at this season and I’m all in, I go get Bruce and stick another powerful bat in the middle of my order. Yes, they will be a bit lefty heavy, but that’s where Bonifacio can come in for Gordon to provide some balance in those situations.
The Kansas City Royals might be one power corner bat away from serious contention in the American League. A corner outfield bat may do the trick.