KCKingdom
Fansided

Kansas City Royals: Thinking to 2018 season and beyond is scary

By Leigh Oleszczak

Jun 27, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain (6) and right fielder Jorge Bonifacio (38) receive congratulations from third baseman Mike Moustakas (8) after scoring in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 27, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain (6) and right fielder Jorge Bonifacio (38) receive congratulations from third baseman Mike Moustakas (8) after scoring in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Kansas City Royals have a lot of guys set to hit free agency this offseason. With four of those guys being every day starters for the Royals, this team could look very different in 2018 and beyond and that’s frightening to think about.

Most Kansas City Royals fans can’t remember back to what the team was like before guys like Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas had their major league call-ups. That happened back in 2011 when the Royals were in the midst of some really bad baseball.

The 2018 season might be the first time the Royals haven’t had Hosmer or Moustakas in their lineup since that 2011 season. Both guys are free agents this offseason and both guys have the infamous Scott Boras their agent.

Boras is well-known for wanting his clients to get as much money as humanly possible. That does not bode well for a team like the Kansas City Royals, who are a small market team.

The hope is that the Royals extend at least one of these guys, but I’m not expecting that to happen.

Hosmer and Moustakas being absent from next year’s team is bad enough, but Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar are both going to hit the open market too. While Escobar hasn’t been all that great this season, Cain has been a huge impact player at the plate.

Jason Vargas will be long gone too, but with Danny Duffy locked up as the Royals’ ace for the next five years, that doesn’t seem like as big of a loss.

More from Kansas City Royals

So with the team potentially losing their first baseman, third baseman, shortstop, and center fielder next year, who could the Royals slot in at those positions? Obviously Cheslor Cuthbert is the obvious answer to slide into third, though Hunter Dozier can play third as well.

Bubba Starling has been making headlines lately saying that he might “finally be ready” to make it to the majors. If he is indeed ready, he’d be a great option to throw into center field. We all know that Raul Mondesi Jr. would be the shortstop of the future and that’s been common knowledge for a long time.

What about first base though? Brandon Moss can play first, but he’s been terrible as the designated hitter. Cuthbert has played first a few times in his career, but putting him at first permanently isn’t the likeliest of scenarios.

To be honest, I can’t really think of anyone in the Royals farm system that could fill in at first next season. The organization drafted Nick Pratto in the first round this year, but he won’t be ready until 2020 at the earliest.

The hope is that the Royals extend at least one of these guys (Hosmer being my personal choice), but I’m not expecting that to happen. Next year’s team will look entirely different and if guys like Dozier, Mondesi, and Starling aren’t ready to contribute at the big league level, then the Kansas City Royals could be in a heap of trouble.

Home/Kansas City Royals