Kansas City Royals: What’s on their 2022 post-lockout to-do list
By Eric Treuden
The Kansas City Royals should sign free agent Eddie Rosario
Don’t get me wrong, the Royals already have plenty of thump in their starting lineup. Sal Perez, Hunter Dozier, and Carlos Santana are known power threats with Andrew Benintendi, Whit Merrifield, and Michael A. Taylor also being annual locks for double-digit home run totals.
The Royals should bring free agent outfielder Eddie Rosario aboard to fill the void that Jorge Soler left when KC traded him to Atlanta at the 2021 trade deadline. Soler played for the Royals from 2017 to 2021, best known for his light-tower-power and his 48-home run season in 2019 as the team’s primary designated hitter and occasional corner outfielder.
Eddie Rosario, the 2021 NLCS MVP and World Series champ with the Atlanta Braves, is better than Soler is defensively and can play a passable left field and right field. On the offensive side of the ball, Rosario had a bit of a down season this past year but he is only a few seasons removed from a 32 home run, 109 RBI showing in 2019.
In 2021, Rosario 111 games split between the Cleveland Guardians and Atlanta Braves. The sweet-swinging lefty hit 14 home runs in over 400 plate appearances and put up a total of 0.8 oWAR and -0.2 dWAR, primarily appearing as a left fielder for the two clubs. The postseason, however, was a completely different story for him. In the NLCS, Rosario went off; hitting three home runs in six games, driving in nine and hitting .560 with a slash-line of .607/1.040/1.647.
Rosario, 30, would be a nice fit on the Kansas City Royals roster thanks to his solid bat and knack for clutch hitting and big moments. With plenty of pop to go around on the team’s current roster, there is something of a hole left from Jorge Soler after his departure.