Free agent frenzy unlikely for KC Royals, but they have work to do when lockout ends
The traditional holiday halt to transactions in Major League Baseball came a few weeks early courtesy of the lockout, but the Kansas City Royals established early on that they weren’t looking to overhaul their roster this winter.
When MLB and the Players Association reach an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement and business resumes, the Royals will likely explore options to bolster their roster. For now, players cannot sign major-league contracts and trades are also not allowed.
Sentiment from the Royals at the end of last season and in the early stages of this offseason had been that their major strides would come from the improvement of their young pitchers and the pending infusion of talent from the top prospects currently in their farm system.
Here’s a look at where the Royals currently stand.
Mondesi and an interesting infield mix
The Royals seemingly have an abundance of infield options, which makes the biggest question how to fit them all and how soon to fit in Baseball America’s 2021 Minor League Player of the Year and the organization’s top prospect, Bobby Witt Jr.
Whit Merrifield turned in an All-Star season at second base and rated among the top defensive second basemen in the majors, while Nicky Lopez batted .300 with a .365 on-base percentage and played Gold Glove-caliber defense as he proved he’s more than an adequate fill-in at shortstop.
Had Adalberto Mondesi stayed healthy, he would have been the everyday shortstop. He has the physical gifts to be a Francisco Lindor-type player at that position as a switch hitter with elite power, speed and fielding range.
However, Mondesi’s injury history has forced the Royals to view him as a more of a part-time player than a player they can pencil in as an everyday player at a premium position.
Late last season, he even played some third base to get him in the lineup along with Merrifield and Lopez.
First baseman Carlos Santana’s season was the tale of two halves. In 89 games before the All-Star break, he blasted 15 homers, 50 RBIs and posted a .368 on-base percentage. He played through injuries, including a hip strain, in the second half and they took a large toll on the 35-year-old’s offensive production. He posted a .254 OBP with four home runs and 19 RBIs in 69 games after the break.
Third baseman Emmanuel Rivera had a strong season in the minors and got off to a fast start in his major-league debut, but he suffered a hamate injury in his second game and missed the next 27 games.
Hunter Dozier didn’t get on track offensively until late in the season. He’ll figure into this mix as well as the outfield, though the Royals preference going into next season will be to limit him to right field and first base as opposed to both corner infield positions as well as the corner outfield spots.
Then there’s first baseman Nick Pratto, a minor-league Gold Glove winner who hit 36 homers last season, and Witt, who has played shortstop and third base in the minors, waiting in the wings.
Perez had historic season for a catcher
Franchise cornerstone Salvador Perez won his fourth Silver Slugger award, led the majors in RBIs (121) and tied for the lead in home runs (48) and the Royals single-season home run record in the process.
He hit the most homers in a season for a primary catcher (at least 75% of games played at catcher) in major-league history. Perez was also a finalist for the AL Gold Glove.
Cam Gallagher continues to rate very well as a pitch framer, and his experience in the majors and familiarity with hitters, particularly in the division, remains valuable to the pitching staff.
Sebastian Rivero and MJ Melendez are both on the 40-man roster. Rivero made his MLB debut last season, while Melendez led the minors in homers and enjoyed a stellar season at Double-A and Triple-A.
Taylor and Benintendi a Gold Glove duo in outfield
Gold Glove winner Michael A. Taylor gave the Royals the elite defender in center field they’ve been seeking since the departure of Lorenzo Cain following the 2017 season.
Taylor, rated the best defensive center fielder in the majors by the Fielding Bible and the SABR Defensive Index, led all defenders in the majors in ultimate zone rating, defensive runs saved, outs above average and outfield assists.
Taylor’s overall offensive numbers weren’t overwhelming (.244/.297/.356 with 12 home runs), but he predominantly batted in the bottom third of the order and he hit lefties well (.295/.344/.424).
Left fielder Andrew Benintendi, acquired from Boston in February, captured his first Gold Glove and returned the contact-oriented approach at the plate he’d shown earlier in his career. Even with a couple injuries having disrupted his season, he slashed .276/.324/.442 with 17 homers, 73 RBIs and 63 runs scored.
First baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn had a torrid offensive performance in his brief Triple-A stint last season (.375/.451/.931 with 12 home runs in 19 games), but those results haven’t consistently translated to the majors. He played more games in the outfield last season than at first base.
Dozier and Merrifield could both see time in right field as well as in the infield.
Kyle Isbel, who started in right field on Opening Day, spent most of the year at Triple-A and showed some really encouraging signs in the second half of the minor-league season and in a brief September call-up.
Edward Olivares played well at Triple-A and handled the back and forth between the majors and minors as the Royals recalled him seven times during the season. Defensively, he had some missteps in the outfield. Offensively, Olivares showed flashes of potential with the bat despite inconsistency.
Minor and Keller lead inexperienced rotation
The Royals have nine pitchers on their 40-man roster who started games for them last season in non-opener roles. Veteran left-hander Mike Minor and right-hander Brad Keller are the only two who’ve logged multiple seasons in the majors of 20 starts or more.
Brady Singer (9-15, 4.62 ERA in 39 starts) and Kris Bubic (7-13, 4.40 ERA in 39 games, 30 starts) now have a full-length season and a pandemic-shortened season under their belts.
Carlos Hernández showed front-of-the-rotation potential, but still has appeared in just 29 games in the majors. In his last 10 games this season, the Royals went 8-2 and he went 5-1 with a 2.51 ERA with a .212 batting average against. Daniel Lynch (15 starts), Jackson Kowar (eight starts), Jon Heasley (three starts), Angel Zerpa (one start).
A veteran addition could help balance the relative inexperience of this group.
Barlow, Brentz and Staumont now bullpen anchors
Veterans Greg Holland, Wade Davis and Ervin Santana are all either free agents or retired.
Jesse Hahn and Jakob Junis, who showed some promise as bullpen options before injuries derailed their seasons, are also free agents, as is Kyle Zimmer.
Shaping the bullpen has been a year-to-year proposition with much of the cast of characters changing annually. This year will be no different, but Scott Barlow certainly seems poised to provide a stabilizing presence with 170 appearances.
The Royals’ Pitcher of the Year this season, Barlow led the team with 16 saves. He led all Royals relievers in innings pitched (74 1/3), ERA (2.42), strikeouts (91), batters faced (306) and pitches thrown (1,223).
Josh Staumont bounced back from a COVID infection that sapped his strength, setback his conditioning and caused him to lose weight on the cusp of spring training. He still set career bests in innings, strikeouts, games, saves, holds, opponents’ average and WHIP.
Left-hander Jake Brentz led the team with 72 appearances in his debut season, and ranked among the best rookie relievers in the majors.
The Royals may have also acquired key bullpen pieces with the additions of Joel Payamps (traded for cash), Domingo Tapia (traded for cash) and Dylan Coleman. Coleman was added last November as the player to be named later in the Trevor Rosenthal trade with San Diego.
Right-hander Taylor Clarke has been the lone major-league signing this offseason for the Royals.
Young pitchers such as Tyler Zuber, Daniel Tillo and Collin Snider could also be factors in relief as well.
This story was originally published December 23, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
