Kansas City Royals should reconsider Neil Walker

The Kansas City Royals have made a series of inexpensive free agent signings in the last week, and now they should consider one more – second baseman Neil Walker.

The Kansas City Royals made a bit of a splash late Thursday night with the re-signing of their erstwhile third baseman Mike Moustakas. This came on the heels of the Royals adding Jon Jay and Lucas Duda.

Suddenly, the Royals might be on the brink of competitiveness! An established player like second baseman Neil Walker could make them a candidate for a wildcard spot, albeit a bit of a long shot still.

Walker is a solid hitter that handles the bat fairly well. He will hit 14-20 homers, hit around .270, take some walks, make decent contact. He’s only 32 years old and could probably be signed for a salary less than the $6.5 million guaranteed to Moustakas.

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe last week that the Royals kicked the tires on Walker reported, offering him a minor league deal.  Maybe it is time to offer him a major league contract.

By signing Walker, the Royals could move Whit Merrifield to centerfield. John Jay would become the fourth outfielder, and the team would gain even more positional flexibility, as Walker could play first and third as well as second.

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Walker would probably be the better everyday asset, as Jay could become exposed a bit if he starts on a regular basis.

Walker would add another veteran player at a very affordable price, one that has experience winning on the biggest stage.

This could be a win-win situation for the Royals. They obviously do not have too much faith in some of their older prospects. They have added pieces to cover Adalberto Mondesi, Hunter Dozier, Chelsor Cuthbert, and Bubba Starling. Jay, Moustakas, Alcides Escobar, and Duda will combine to make about $13.5 million in 2018 – that is pretty good!

The best case scenario is the Royals pass the rebuilding White Sox and Tigers, compete with the questionable Twins (do we believe the Twins were lucky last year?), and, if things went perfectly, they challenge a depleted Indians team for the American League Central.

The worst case scenario is the Royals top three pitchers do not improve on last year’s performances, Gordon continues his downward spiral, and Moose doesn’t come close to his franchise record 38 homers. If the Royals are not in the very thick of the race by mid-July, Dayton Moore can sell all pieces and begin the rebuilding process in earnest.

Most of the organizations best prospects, especially hitting, are still quite young. Most are still at least three years away. The free agent signings the Royals have made might have some value to contenders in July, so if it doesn’t cost the team much in the way of dollars, why not sign them?

Neil Walker should be added to the list of veteran players the Royals have signed.

Next: Top Second Basemen All-Time for the Royals

The Kansas City Royals could make another big bargain free agent signing with Neil Walker. It would be an interesting move that has little downside for the team. The Royals are suddenly interesting again!