General managers are meeting this week in Las Vegas, laying the groundwork for deals this offseason. Free agency is officially open, and the Royals have clear needs in their lineup. While they got another
All-Star performance from Bobby Witt Jr., a breakout season from Maikel Garcia, and 30-home-run seasons from Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez, much of the rest of the lineup was a huge disappointment. The outfield was a particular weakness, with Royals outfielders combining to hit .225/.285/.348, the worst numbers in baseball.
Royals executive J.J. Picollo appears to recognize this great need in his conversation with MLB.com reporter Mark Feinsand at the meetings. Feinsand writes that the Royals are targeting outfielders.
The Royals are focused on the outfield market, looking to add a left fielder – ideally one who can play every day – and a right-handed bat who can complement the left-handed hitting Jac Caglianone in right field. ”
“We don’t want to spend a lot of money on the short side of a platoon, but the reality is we need it,” Picollo said. “If we can find the right person, the right bat to complement Cags, that would be great.”
Adding a left fielder makes a lot of sense, as the Royals gave up on MJ Melendez early in the season, struggled with youngsters Drew Waters and John Rave, then made do with stopgap solutions acquired in trades for Adam Frazier and Mike Yastrzemski. The free agent left field market is a bit thin, with Kyle Tucker likely out of reach for the Royals, leaving Harrison Bader, Cody Bellinger, and Trent Grisham as the best starting options. In his end-of-the-year press conference, Piccollo also indicated he was open to bringing Yastrzemski back. The 35-year-old left-hander hit .237/.339/.500 with nine home runs in 50 games with the Royals. MLB.com reporter Anne Rogers suggested that a trade may be more likely with the Royals willing to deal some of their pitching surplus, and MLB Network reporter Jon Morosi reported the Royals are evaluating the outfield trade market.
Picollo also told reporters back in October that Caglianone would have to compete for a spot in the lineup next year, saying “he’s going to have to earn it.” A right-handed bat could help protect the left-handed hitting Caglianone against tough lefties, although he actually had a reverse split at both the MLB and minor league levels, hitting lefties better than righties. But overall he struggled, hitting just .157 with seven home runs in 62 games. Among the best right-handed platoon bats available in free agency are Miguel Andujar, Austin Hays, Dylan Moore, Rob Refsnyder, Austin Slater, Lane Thomas, and Randal Grichuk, who played in 43 games for the Royals last year but had his option declined.
Picollo also said the team payroll should be around $140 million, although there is some flexibility.
“If you look at going into 2023, we were at $100 million, then we jumped to 130, then we jumped to 140; that’s a 40 percent increase in a two-year period,” Picollo said. “He’s made a pretty significant commitment, and now it’s on us to make this work. He’s always been open-minded; we did it last year with [Carlos] Estévez at the end of the winter. That 140, it’s not a hard 140, but we have to be able to go to him and say, ‘This makes a lot of sense.’”
The Royals are currently projected to have a payroll around $125 million, although they could potentially save some money by non-tendering some arbitration-eligible players such as Jonathan India.
