Although the Royals have added Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas to their lineup, the offseason still feels incomplete. The Royals could use another outfielder to provide depth and give more options on offense.
Reports are that a trade for Jarren Duran of the Red Sox or Brendan Donovan of the Cardinals are “increasingly unlikely,” the Royals may have to turn to a thin free agent market.
One of the outfield bats still available is 30-year-old Miguel Andujar. Andujar is coming off a career resurgence, in which he hit .318/.352/.470 with 10 home runs in 341 plate appearances with the Athletics and Reds last season. According to New York Post reporter Jon Heyman, the right-handed hitting outfielder is drawing “significant interest” with Rangers, Padres, Cardinals, Reds, Cubs, and Athletics among the teams “in play.”
Andujar was once a highly-touted top 100 prospect with the Yankees. In 2018, he hit .297/.328/.527 with 27 home runs as a rookie, finishing behind only Shohei Ohtani, then of the Angels, in Rookie of the Year voting. He missed most of the next season following shoulder surgery, and struggled to hit the next few years with the Yankees. The Pirates claimed him off waivers in 2022, and the Athletics picked him up after the 2023 season.
After a wrist injury set him back to begin the year, Andujar’s got off to a hot start in 2024. He hit .285/.320/.377 in 75 games with the A’s, but he missed the final month with a core muscle injury that would require surgery. In 2025, he got off to a decent start but went on an absolute tear over the last two months. After July 25, he hit .372/.411/.620 with seven home runs in his last 39 games.
Andujar obliterated lefties last year, hitting .389/.409/.578 against them, and he hit .411 against southpaws in 2024, although in just 61 plate appearances.
He also puts the ball in play. Andujar has a strikeout rate of just 13.8 percent over the last two seasons, 21st-lowest among players with at least 600 plate appearances. He has a 92.9 percent contact rate on pitches in the strike zone in that time, one of the highest rates in baseball. He hardly ever walks, but he is a tough out – over the last two seasons, he has hit .269 with two strikes on him, the fifth-highest average in baseball in those situations.
Andujar is not particularly fast, and he has negative Baserunning Runs in each of the last two seasons. He split his time mostly between third base and left field last year, and was a poor defender at each position.
Andujar is probably looking for a two-year deal, but at this point in the offseason, he will likely have to settle for a one-year contract, even with the alleged suitors Heyman mentions. He has value as a role player, likely in a platoon role, but is not worth investing in long-term. The Royals may be up against their budgetary limitations, but Andujar shouldn’t break the bank. I would expect him to sign for between $6-8 million, with maybe a $9-10 million club or mutual option for 2027 with a $1 million buyout.
