Kansas City Royals pessimism of Eric Hosmer does not mean anything
By David Hill
The Kansas City Royals are pessimistic that they will retain Eric Hosmer. That pessimism may not mean anything at this point in the offseason.
Let us step into Professor Peabody’s WayBack Machine and travel back to 2015. The world was a simpler place back then, as the Cubs were still cursed and David Bowie and Carrie Fisher were still alive. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Royals were coming off their second World Series title, having dispatched of the New York Mets in five games.
That offseason, the Royals faced a tough decision with one of their top players. Alex Gordon had become a free agent, and was coming off of a solid .271/.377/.432 batting line, hitting 13 homers and 18 doubles. Although he was coming off of an injury plagued season, he was considered one of the better free agents available. The Royals ended up retaining Gordon on a four year, $72 Million contract, although they felt it was likely that he would sign elsewhere during free agency.
Kansas City finds themselves in a similar position with first baseman Eric Hosmer. The Royals Gold Glove first baseman is coming off of a career year, posting a .318/.385/.498 batting line, hitting 25 homers and 31 doubles. It was perfect timing for Hosmer, as the free agent earned his fourth Gold Glove and first Silver Slugger awards last season.
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While that career season was timed well for Hosmer, that is not the case for the Royals. Already facing an elevated payroll, their offseason hinges on whether or not they can keep their star first baseman. Bring back Hosmer, and the Royals may look to keep their window of contention open. Otherwise, everything of any value may be sent elsewhere, as they begin a long rebuild. At this point, the Royals may be staring down the barrel of a rebuild, as they are pessimistic about keeping Hosmer going forward.
Those financial issues are the problem. The Royals feel that Hosmer will get a much larger offer elsewhere, and will end up playing elsewhere. Of course, that sentiment echoes what the Royals expected with Gordon two years ago.
It is safe to say that Hosmer is a perfect fit with the Royals. His defense has been considered amongst the best in the game, and his line drive generating swing is perfect for Kauffman Stadium. However, he is still considered a major risk, given that defensive metrics do not view his defense favorably, and his batted ball profile does not show that an uptick in power is forthcoming.
Depending on how teams view those advanced statistics, Hosmer’s market may be slow to develop. The Padres are heavily in pursuit of the Royals first baseman, having been linked to Hosmer several times. Considering that Petco Park is similar to Kauffman Stadium, his offensive profile would be a fit.
As it stands, the Kansas City Royals are pessimistic about retaining Eric Hosmer. However, that was the case two years ago with Alex Gordon, and he still returned.