Royals Rumors: Team Interested In Andre Ethier

Recent Royals rumors have the team linked to Dodgers’ outfielder Andre Ethier. Would he be a good trade target?

Andre Ethier is a name that has long been circulated in Royals’ trade speculation. The Royals were looking for an outfielder and the Dodgers are always looking to sell the right fielder.

Justin Lee of ChatSports.com wrote an article about trade speculation surrounding Dodgers’ outfielders. His article is mostly about the team’s unwillingness to part ways with often troubled young outfielder Yasiel Puig.

While the focus of the speculation is about Puig, it also brings up right fielder Andre Ethier. Here’s what was mentioned in the piece:

"The Dodgers are, however, looking to trade fellow outfielder Andre Ethier. The Chicago White Sox have been sniffing around, and speculation indicates that the Kansas City Royals (looking for a fourth outfielder, depth) and Baltimore Orioles (right field starting spot) could at least kick the tires here."

While ChatSports.com isn’t considered a reliable source, it’s worth examining Andre Ethier as a trade candidate.

Andre Ethier had a good year in 2015. He slashed .294/.366./.486 on the season. His numbers are the result of a very strict platoon.

Andre Ethier hits right handed pitching hard. He has a batting average over .300 versus right handed pitching in his career. He runs into trouble against lefties.

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He slashes .234/.292/.344 against lefties and batted a measly .200 against them in 2015. His 2015 numbers are from a very small sample size, but his career numbers against lefties come in over 1,200 at-bats.

His defense isn’t all that great. He probably isn’t going to hurt you in right field, but he’s not going to offer up the above average defense that the Royals already have in players like Jarrod Dyson and Paulo Orlando.

His contract is pretty large for a player that appears to be nothing more than a platoon option. He’s owed 18 million dollars in 2016 and 17.5 million dollars in each 2017 and 2018. When Alex Gordon is making 18 million dollars on average, Andre Ethier would appear to be well out of the Royals’ price range.

Analyis:

Andre Ethier isn’t worth the prospects it would take to acquire him. He probably would’t cost a lot because the Dodgers are likely looking to unload his salary. He’s also 33 years old and the Royals likely aren’t looking to add a three-year contract to the roster for a player of that age.

The fact that the Dodgers are probably looking to clear some salary is another reason the Royals don’t make sense as a trade partner. The Royals would probably ask that the Dodgers cover a significant portion of Ethier’s salary. It’s counter intuitive for the Dodgers to make that move if they’re truly looking to reduce payroll.

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The other reason he isn’t a good fit for the Royals is the perceived notion that they don’t hit left handed pitching all that well (It should be noted that the Royals had a better team batting average against lefties than against righties last year). If the Royals are looking to better themselves against lefties, it wouldn’t make sense to add someone that can’t hit left-handed pitching to save his life.

Overall, there are just too many valuable free agent outfielders still available to warrant a trade like this. It would further deplete the farm system and add someone who only has value some of the time. Consider this Royals rumor to be nothing more than bored, off-season speculation.

Next: What Outfielders Still Remain In Free Agency?

What do you think Royals’ fans? Do you think Ethier is a good fit for the Royals? Do they need to add anyone? Let me know in the comments’ section below.

All stats provided by www.baseballreference.com and www.spotrac.com