Royals Rumors: Ben Zobrist Still a Possibility

Kansas City Royals rumors still have the Royals showing interest in Ben Zobrist of the Oakland Athletics.

The KC Royals are one of the several teams still showing interest in Ben Zobrist, according to Peter Gammons and MLB Trade Rumors. The Royals could use Zobrist in a few positions around the diamond.

Zobrist has played more than 20 games this season at both second base and left field. He logged plenty of games at those two positions in previous seasons too, plus in 2013 and 2014, he played 52 games at shortstop and 58 in right field.

He could be a great piece to the Royals’ puzzle moving forward as they could plug him in a number of places. He could fill in for Alex Gordon until the Gold Glover returns later in the season. He could spend some time spelling Omar Infante at second.

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He can even give Alcides Escobar a day or two off during the dog days of summer, or relieve Alex Rios in right field.

Zobrist is hitting .262 with five home runs and 32 Runs Batted In in 61 games in 2015 for the Athletics.

He would be a very affordable option for Kansas City as he is in the last year of his contract and is only owed about $3 million for the last two months of the season.

If the KC Royals could acquire Zobrist cheaply, and maybe add Jay Bruce from the Reds, the Royals offense suddenly looks much stronger. The Royals rumors concerning Bruce just emerged, and would be an exciting move if Dayton Moore could pull that off.

Let’s not get greedy, though. Zobrist’s versatility is his biggest asset, and could really be a benefit to the Royals down the stretch, and maybe into the post season. He would be a nice affordable piece who looks to be a good fit.

The Royals are second in the American League in Batting Average, hitting .274, according to Fangraphs. However, they are in the middle of the pack in Runs Scored with 395, ranked seventh in the AL.

Zobrist, who boasts a career .264 batting average, offers decent speed and decent power. At 34 years old, look for him to finish in low double digits in both home runs and stolen bases.

He is not a star at this point in his career, but he could really help the Royals around the diamond, and provide a veteran bat in the line-up.

There seems to be a plethora of Kansas City Royals rumors these days. Stay tuned for more as they surface.

Next: Realistic Trade Targets for the Royals

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