KC Royals: Should The Royals Try To Retain The Core

Eric Hosmer: (28 years old)

Eric Hosmer will have most of his prime yeas left and will certainly draw the most attention of any Royals’ free agent. His upside is very high and he is a leader in the clubhouse for the Royals. He should definitely be the Royals’ top target of the free agent class.

Sadly, his upside and the money he would receive on the open market means the KC Royals are very likely to get outbid for his services.

Mike Moustakas: (29 years old)

Mike Moustakas has become a symbol for the Royals as an organization. His struggles early in his career followed by a career year in 2015 are symbolic of the Royals late comeback wins.

His defense and blend of contact and power fit the Royals. He has become a big part of the Royals, but doesn’t have the career stats to draw an enormous amount of attention in free agency.

Moustakas has shown the ability to improve his hitting from a pull hitter to using all fields. This improvement should give the Royals faith that he will build on his career season and be worth retaining because his skill set should not majorly decrease over the life of a four or five year deal.

Lorenzo Cain (31 years old)

Lorenzo Cain has become a star player for the Royals. He set career highs in almost every major offensive category in 2015.

Cain’s greatest attributes are speed and athleticism that allow him to make fantastic catches in center field and run the base paths like a cheetah.

Cain’s strengths will definitely lessen over the life of a long term deal. Cain has made many very impressive plays and a strong fundamental skill set which should attract attention in free agency. The Royals will have a difficult time retaining Cain but if he gets a deal of five or more years.

Next: All Out Of Options