Kansas City Royals: Evaluating the 2017 Payroll
By Joel Wagler
The Kansas City Royals Possible Infield
The Royals will have some money invested here in 2017, some of it dead money as the team still owes Omar Infante $8 million.
The key here will be if Kendrys Morales is offered or accepts that qualifying offer. It will have a big impact on this payroll.
- Salvador Perez – C – $4.2 million
- Drew Butera or similar free agent – C – $1.5 million
- Eric Hosmer – 1B – $12 million (estimate)
- Whit Merrifield – 2B – 507,500 ( 2016 league minimum)
- Mike Moustakas – 3B – $8.7 million
- Alcides Escobar – SS – $6.5 million
- Kendrys Morales – DH – $16.2 million (if he accepts qualifying offer)
- Cheslor Cuthbert – Utility/3B/DH – $509,450 million
- Omar Infante – Released – $8 million (dead money)
- Total – $58 million (estimate)
This number goes down significantly if Morales moves on. The Royals might fill the designated hitter spot with a combination of people like possibly Daniel Nava, Cuthbert, and maybe Moustakas. Maybe some rotation or daily match-up thing.
The Royals also may decide to go with someone from within the organization like Hunter Dozier, who would be at the league minimum. Or maybe Dayton Moore can find a cheap gem on the free agent market.
All of this rides on what happens with the Kendrys Morales situation. It will be fun to see what happens here.