Royals Rumors: Trading for Scott Van Slyke Would be a Great Move For KC Royals
By John Viril
Royals rumors that I would love to hear are whispers about the Kansas City Royals working on a trade for Dodgers OF Scott Van Slyke.
Most people talk about deals for Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier, and Matt Kemp when considering the Los Angeles Dodgers logjam of outfielders, but they also have Scott Van Slyke to go with Yasiel Puig and top prospect Joc Pederson.
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The 28-year-old Van Slyke is a guy that deserves a full-time job. He is a career .261/.348/.524 hitter in 455 plate appearances with 20 HRs. The right-handed Van Slyke murders left-handed pitching to the tune of .268/.362/.530, and developed into a credible bat against right-handers last season with a .279/.353/.413 line for an on-base plus slugging (OPS) of .767.
In addition, Van Slyke is a plus defender in the outfield. Over his 3-year career, Scott Van Slyke has a 13.7 Ulitmate Zone Rating per 150 games (UZR/150)—which would make him a good fit for the Royals, who prize outfield defense since they play in spacious Kauffman Stadium.
He also has some defensive versatility, in that Van Slyke has played all 3 outfield positions, and can also man first base.
The best part about Scott Van Slyke is that he has one remaining non-arbitration year, so he would be a cheap solution for Kansas City’s need for right-handed power in 2015. Further, as a guy that has not established himself as an everyday player, he should not cost too much talent in trade.
Now, the value-conscious Dodger president Andrew Friedman is surely aware of what he has and would like to keep Van Slyke. He wants to move his more well-known outfield pieces to create some payroll flexibility. However, Friedman has an immediate need at shortstop.
Los Angeles has top prospect Corey Seager, but he is only 20 years old and is one or two years away from being ready for a major-league job. The KC Royals could offer the major-league ready Christian Colon in trade for Van Slyke—who is likely to be no more than a luxury bench bat in Los Angeles.
This deal would make sense for both sides. Colon is set to fill a utility infield role in Kansas City, along with the recently acquired Ryan Jackson (for cash from the Dodgers) and Jayson Nix. While I like Colon better than either of the other two options, the Royals have a bigger need for right-handed power.
Landing Van Slyke would give the Kansas City Royals plenty of payroll space to sign a free-agent pitcher, and even another hitter.
Of course, such a deal makes too much sense to really happen.