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KC Royals: Trading Brandon Moss means time for Jorge Soler to step up

By Leigh Oleszczak

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 23: Jorge Soler #12 of the Kansas City Royals looks on during the game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on May 23, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Rob Tringali/SportsChrome/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 23: Jorge Soler #12 of the Kansas City Royals looks on during the game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on May 23, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Rob Tringali/SportsChrome/Getty Images) /
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The KC Royals traded Brandon Moss to the Oakland Athletics on Monday evening and that means Jorge Soler has to become more reliable in 2018.

Trading Brandon Moss means a lot of things for the Kansas City Royals this season. First base and designated hitter are both open now and those positions will be filled in the next few weeks, or at the very least in spring training.

Moss mainly took swings as the team’s designated hitter in 2017 and now the Royals will likely turn to Jorge Soler to take over the role as the predominant DH. Soler did not have a good first year in Kansas City, batting just .144 with two home runs in 97 at bats.

Fans knew not to expect much in Soler’s first year, but he spent the majority of the year in AAA and when he did play in the majors, he was terrible. Soler was also a liability in the outfield, nearly costing the Royals a game when he dove for a ball in a one-run game in the ninth inning.

Trading Moss now means that the designated hitter spot is Soler’s to lose. He’s lousy in the outfield and the KC Royals have plenty of other options to have out there. Alex Gordon will be manning either left field or center field with Paulo Orlando likely taking the other one and Jorge Bonifacio probably getting the nod in right field.

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When looking at the roster before this trade, there wasn’t a place for Soler, and that was the issue last year. Soler was initially thought to be the leading option in right field in 2017, but Bonifacio and Melky Cabrera basically locked it down there, forcing Soler to take at bats in AAA.

Cabrera is gone now, but Bonifacio will still probably be in right field, as he should be. Soler was brought to Kansas City to be the main designated hitter (remember – Moss was signed after that trade was made) and now it’s finally his job for the taking.

The question is can Jorge Soler actually improve and become the guy the Royals thought they’d be getting when they sent Wade Davis to Chicago? Let’s sure hope so.

This is the year to let Soler go out there and take big league swings. The Royals aren’t going to be all that competitive and this is as good a year as any to let struggling players work on their hitting skills.

What do you think, Royals fans? Do you think Jorge Soler will have a decent season?

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