Royals Rumors: San Francisco Giants likely out on Lorenzo Cain
Royals rumors have been pretty slow, but we can count another team out of the sweepstakes for Lorenzo Cain’s services. The Giants now have acquired two outfielders this offseason and it’d make no sense to sign Cain.
All offseason long, the San Francisco Giants had been one of the main teams consistently linked to Lorenzo Cain due to their need for outfielders. The Kansas City Royals had very little chance of bringing Cain back due to his age and having other priorities, but LoCain is still unsigned.
On Monday, the Giants pretty much took themselves out of the Lorenzo Cain market by inking outfielder Austin Jackson to a two-year deal. A few weeks ago, the Giants traded for Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen, which now gives them two options for center field. That takes the need for Cain away for the Giants.
It’s been an interesting offseason for the Kansas City Royals, as the Royals rumors have not flowed as much as we thought they would at this point of the winter. Cain, Alcides Escobar, Eric Hosmer, and Mike Moustakas are all still unsigned, which not many would have predicted this late into the offseason.
Austin Jackson to the Giants on a 2-year deal would seem to eliminate them from signing Lorenzo Cain. Brewers and Rangers have been mentioned. When will a Royals FA sign somewhere?
— Soren Petro (@SorenPetro) January 23, 2018
Cain had a good season in 2017, slashing .300/.363/.440 and 15 home runs in 584 at bats. He wasn’t quite to his 2015 form, but he had a much improved campaign over his injury riddled 2016 season.
More from KC Kingdom
- Win $650 GUARANTEED Plus $100 Off NFL Sunday Ticket With Caesars, FanDuel and DraftKings Kansas Promos!
- This Plus-Money Bobby Witt Jr. Prop Bet is on Fire (Hit in 15/21 Games)!
- How to Bet on the Chiefs vs. Cardinals in NFL Preseason Week 2
- The Royals Need to Extend Bobby Witt Jr. Immediately
- The 3 Most Intriguing Games on the Chiefs’ Schedule
When Cain was going, the Royals were going last season. He was such a pivotal part of the offense and the defense and it’ll be nearly impossible to replace him.
Unfortunately, the Royals just can’t merit spending a huge chunk of change on a guy who will turn 32 in April. They already have that guy in Alex Gordon and the payoff has not been good.
Cain’s struggled with injuries throughout his career and he’s getting to the point where he’ll be past his prime. Athletes get old quickly and the Royals likely won’t make the same mistake with Cain that they did with Gordon. Their biggest priority anyway is to keep Hosmer in a Royals jersey and there’s been very little news there.
With the Giants being out of the Cain market, who else is there? As Soren Petro tweeted above, the Brewers and Rangers could be possibilities. Will Cain still get the kind of money that everyone thought he would before free agency began?
Remember – Since the Royals extended a qualifying offer to Cain and he rejected it, if he signs for less than $50 million, the Royals don’t get a compensatory first round pick. That’d really sting.
Where will Lorenzo Cain end up now that he probably isn’t heading to San Francisco?