Kansas City Royals reportedly reached out to free-agent outfielder Juan Soto
The Royals were the most active team in last year’s free-agent market. That’s a sentence most KC fans never imagined would be written.
Last winter, the Royals signed a bevy of players, including pitchers Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, along with outfielder Hunter Renfroe.
Lugo, who finished second in Cy Young Award voting this week, and Wacha helped anchor one of baseball’s best rotations in 2024. The Royals apparently are keeping an eye on this year’s free-agent market, too.
The biggest name this year is outfielder Juan Soto. He’s just 26 years old, but he’s already won five Silver Slugger Awards and is coming off a season in which he hit 41 homers, 31 doubles and walked 129 times with the Yankees.
The assumption is big-market teams like the Yankees and Dodgers will have the inside track to sign Soto, but he’s open to joining any franchise.
“I feel like every team has the same opportunities when I’m going through free agency,” Soto told reporters. “I don’t want to say anyone has any advantage because at the end of the day we’re gonna look at what they have and how much they want me.”
Dare to dream if you’re a Royals fan, right?
Well it turns out the Royals did reach out to Soto. That’s according to the MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.
Here is what he wrote in a story for the New York Post: “The Royals were a second small-market team to check in on Juan Soto. But, ultimately, it’s not a financial fit. Can’t blame the Rays for checking in, either.”
Alas, it’s no surprise that the Royals could not afford Soto, but fans loved that general manager J.J. Picollo took an interest.
