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Royals Rumors: Could Melky Cabrera Be Returning To KC Royals

By Joel Wagler

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Royals rumors now have the Kansas City Royals reaching out to their former center fielder, Melky Cabrera. The Royals have to big holes two fill in their line up, in right field and at designated hitter, and signing Cabrera would go a long way to filling one of those gaps.

According to Jon Heyman, of CBSSports.com and the MLB Netowrk, the Royals are showing interest in Cabrera.

According to Heyman on CBSSports.com Wednesday, Cabrera is looking for a long term deal.

"Cabrera, 30, is said to be seeking at least a five-year deal, and that doesn’t necessarily seem completely out of whack with Nelson Cruz, an older DH type, getting four years — though realistically, four may be more likely."

Heyman goes on to mention several outfielders who might be a fit for the Kansas City Royals.

"The Royals…could also consider their own free agent outfielder, Norichika Aoki plus other free-agent options to fill their need for a bat. Alex Rios,Ryan Ludwick and Kendrys Morales are names that have been batted around, and Michael Morse and Colby Rasmus could fit as well."

Melky Cabrera and Michael Morse seem to be the best of this bunch at this time.

The Royals are certainly familiar with Melky Cabrera. He spent the 2011 season in Kansas City, and turned in a fantastic season, hitting .305 with a .809 OPS. He hit 18 home runs, stole 20 bases, legged out 44 doubles, and knocked in 87 runs.

The KC Royals traded him to San Francisco that off-season, and Cabrera returned to Kansas City in July to win the All-Star MVP for the National League. A month later, he was suspended for testing positive for a banned substance.

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The last two seasons, Cabrera has played in Toronto, where he he batted .293 with a .761 OPS. He blasted 19 total home runs in 2013 and 2014, driving in 103. He missed about half the 2013 season due to an injury.

It appears his numbers in 2011 and 2012 may have been inflated somewhat by his use of a banned substance, but he seems to be settling in as a decent all around hitter, with mediocre power. At just 30 years old, he should still have several good seasons left.

Overall, Cabrera is a below average outfielder, earning a career Ultimate Zone Rating of -38.5. According to Fangraphs.com, as a center fielder for the Royals in 2011, he earned a -6.8 UZR. As a rightfielder for his career, he seems to be a much better defensive player, accumulating a -.3 UZR for his career, granted, with a much smaller sample size.

In all fairness, his play in the field in 2011 didn’t seem that bad to the naked eye. Teamed with Gold Glover Alex Gordon all season, the two were a fearsome defensive duo. The Royals outfield that season, including Jeff Francoeur in right, combined for 53 outfield assists. Cabrera contributed 17 of those.

Adding Melky in right field, along with Lorenzo Cain in center, and Gordon in left, with Jarrod Dyson backing up, could be very good defensively. Is Cabrera’s bat truly worth a four or five-year deal? If he could match is 2011 numbers, the answer is probably yes.

If he can match his 2014 numbers, again he probably would be worth it, but not if it is in the $14 million range. That’s seems a bit high.

If Kansas City could sign Melky Cabrera to a four-year deal, for say, $48 million, it is foreseeable he could earn that, and this is one  KC Royals rumors that may not be so bad. If it is a 5-year contract worth $70 million, the Royals need to let someone else make that mistake.

Stay tuned for more Royals rumors as they break.

Next: Is Ervin Santana Worth Five Years

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