Kansas City Royals: Newcomers Keep Royals in Contention

JORGE SOLER

Royals fans had mixed feelings when it was announced that Wade Davis would be rocking Cubs pinstripes in 2017 and his replacement would be outfielder Jorge Soler.

Soler, a right fielder for the Chicago Cubs these past three seasons, offers the ability to hit for power. This is something the Royals needed to address this offseason, as their offense struggled tremendously in 2016.

The Royals found a guy to man right field for the next four years and who can hit home runs.

Soler’s slash line from a season ago won’t wow anyone (.238/.333/.436 in 86 games), but the kid can hit home runs. He belted 12 last season with the Cubs and hit 27 total during his Chicago tenure.

Hitting 12 home runs as a 24 year old is great and the Royals have control over Soler for the next four seasons. He’ll be 28 when he hits free agency again, so the Royals will likely have the kid during his strongest seasons at the plate.

The biggest question mark with Jorge Soler, however, is his health. Last season he missed time due to a strained hamstring, strained oblique, and a sprained ankle, according to FOX Sports.

After the Royals acquired Soler, I asked one of my friends who’s a Cubs fan what he thought of the deal. He said the Royals wouldn’t get more than two solid years of production from Soler due to his injury problems. That’s definitely concerning.

At the end of the day, the Royals found a guy to man right field for the next four years and who can hit home runs. They traded a proven Major League closer for Soler and I do think this will end up being a good trade for both teams, but let’s hope Jorge Soler can stay healthy.