Kansas City Royals: Offseason Outlook

Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

RF/DH

1. Nelson Cruz:  My heart says no because he’s a twice-busted PED-user, but my brain knows how much this kind of impact bat could bolster the Royals lineup. Cruz hit 40 home runs last year. Yes, a fair number of those may have been a result of playing in the homer-friendly confines of Camden Yard, but he possesses the kind of power to hit them out of any ball park.

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I think Kauffman Stadium would suppress his home run totals a little, but I think 30+ would still be a reasonable expectation. According to ESPN’s Home Run Tracker, if Cruz had played all 162 games in Kauffman Stadium last year, he would have finished the season with about 30 home runs, instead of 40. I know that’s not overly-scientific, by any means, but something interesting to look at.  *Was issued a qualifying offer by the Orioles, signing him would require Royals to surrender a 1st round draft pick.

2. Victor Martinez: Martinez would be a perfect replacement for Billy Butler in that he would serve in the exact same role. He would DH for the Royals, and get the occasional spot-start at 1b. He’ll be 36 next season, and even if you think his home run total is due to regress (which it almost certainly is), the 30-40 doubles and OB% north of .370 would be a sight for sore eyes.   *Was issued a qualifying offer by the Tigers, signing him would require Royals to surrender a 1st round draft pick.

3. Michael Cuddyer: Yes, another 36 year-old-to- be makes this list. Cuddyer has some versatility in that he can play some RF and first base, but would obviously be used primarily as a DH in Kansas City. My concern about Cuddyer, other than his age, is my hesitancy to trust anything that happens in the thin air of Colorado.

All of the sudden, Cuddyer went from being about a .260 hitter to a .330 hitter simply by moving over to the Rockies. Last year was only a partial season for Cuddyer, so I looked at his 2013 stats. His splits were quite noticeable:

Even with that being true, those away numbers aren’t too shabby at all, and he’d serve as the right-handed bat the Royals covet.   *Was issued a qualifying offer by the Rockies, signing him would require Royals to surrender a 1st round draft pick.

4. Michael Morse: He will be 33 when the 2015 season starts, but otherwise I think he’s capable of doing whatever Cuddyer can do, maybe more. So, while being the youngest guy on this list, I’d also project him as being the most affordable. Just like Cuddyer, Morse provides a right-handed bat with power, and the same positional flexibility at 1b and RF. If nothing else, maybe some of that San Francisco Giants magic would rub off on the Royals. I think he makes the most sense, in terms of probability and affordability, for the Royals because he’s oft-injured. He’s played greater than 140 games in a season just once in his career, and last did that in 2011.

5. Adam LaRoche:  The Fort Scott, KS resident is a late addition to this list.  He provides a couple of traits the Royals desperately need.  He knows how to take a walk (82 last year), and he knows how to hit the ball out of the park (26 last year).  He did not receive a qualifying offer from the Nationals, so that makes him a little more attractive as well.  I think the Royals would prefer a right-handed bat like Morse, but LaRoche would be a solid fall-back option, and could spell Eric Hosmer from time to time.  The catch is that LaRoche is pretty useless versus left-handed pitching, so the Royals would need to call on someone else for DH/1b duties in those scenarios.