Kansas City Royals: Paulo Orlando Has Little Trade Value

The Kansas City Royals are likely not going to super aggressive in free agency this offseason. Trading outfielder Paulo Orlando would be a nice option, but he offers little in return on the market.

This will probably be a pretty boring free agency session for KC Royals fans, as general manager Dayton Moore has already gone on the record saying that they wouldn’t be aggressive.

If the Royals are going to add critical pieces to their roster, they’ll probably have to do so through a trade. Someone that I’d be on board with the team shipping off elsewhere would be outfielder Paulo Orlando.

That probably won’t happen though, as Orlando really wouldn’t bring much in return to the team.

Orlando had a career year in 2016, but before that, he had spent a decade in the minor leagues. He just turned 31 years old and has two major league seasons in the books.

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While Royals fans like Orlando a lot, the guy probably won’t see a better year than he did in 2016. He slashed .302/.329/.405 in 128 games and 457 plate appearances. He hit five home runs, plated 43 RBI, and hit four triples.

Orlando was a great offensive piece for Kansas City last season, but he likely won’t continue that stride. That’s why now would seemingly be the perfect time to trade him and try to get something for him.

Unfortunately, that likely wouldn’t be the case. At 31 years old, Orlando doesn’t offer much to other teams. At best, the Royals could get a middle-tier reliever to add to their bullpen. That’s if they’re lucky.

Joel Wagler of KC Kingdom covered the team’s payroll situation for next season and had this to say about Orlando,

"One word of warning here. Paulo Orlando is a great feel good story. He earned his playing time in 2016. Don’t raise your expectations too much, though. While he hit an impressive .302, he has almost no power, almost never walks, isn’t much of a run producer, and strikes out a lot."

Orlando would be a cheap option to keep on the team, but he’s just not an every day outfielder. He was pushed into that role this past season due to injuries to Lorenzo Cain, Jarrod Dyson, and Alex Gordon, but the Royals are fairly cramped in the outfield now.

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At the end of the day, I don’t see this happening. If it did happen, the Kansas City Royals likely wouldn’t receive a whole lot in return. Despite batting over .300 in 2016, Orlando is a fourth outfielder on most other teams and he strikes out a lot.

What do you think, Royals fans? Could the team get something out of trading Paulo Orlando or should they hang onto him for the 2017 season?

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