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KC Royals: Jorge Bonifacio suspension could lead to another signing

By Leigh Oleszczak

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 20: Jorge Bonifacio #38 of the Kansas City Royals hits a double in the second inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 20, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 20: Jorge Bonifacio #38 of the Kansas City Royals hits a double in the second inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 20, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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The KC Royals were hit hard with the news of Jorge Bonifacio being suspended. Will the Royals opt to bring in someone else via free agency or stick to what they have?

*Editor’s Note – This article was written before Neil Walker signed with the Yankees*

Just when Kansas City Royals fans started to think the 2018 season might not suck so much, they were smacked right in the face with the news of Jorge Bonifacio‘s suspension. Bonifacio will miss 80 games this year due to PED use.

Maria Torres of The Kansas City Star writes,

"With Bonifacio out of the picture until July 1 at the earliest, outfielder Paulo Orlando seems destined to remain on the 25-man roster. Non-roster invitees Michael Saunders and Tyler Collins, who have both impressed Yost throughout the spring, might now receive heavier consideration to join the Royals in Kansas City as well."

While I agree with Torres that this now solidifies Paulo Orlando’s job in Kansas City, I still think another signing could make sense for this team. Why not at this point? They already brought in Lucas Duda, Jon Jay, and Mike Moustakas, so why not add someone else?

Joel Wagler touched on signing Neil Walker and having him predominantly play second base, with first and third mixed in there as well. With Walker at second, Whit Merrifield could play in the outfield, and that’d force Jon Jay into more of a bench role, which is what he’s been the last few years and probably the preferred role for him.

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Another thought is that the KC Royals could re-sign Melky Cabrera on a cheap one-year deal. The other three free agents they’ve signed have all been on affordable one-year deals and with Cabrera being 33 years old, he won’t be anticipating a mega contract.

Cabrera batted .269 and four home runs during his second half stint with the Royals last season. He mostly spent time in right field, which is where Bonifacio was probably going to be, but also played in left field and was the designated hitter from time to time.

Bonifacio is just 24 years old and batted .255 with 17 home runs last year. He was quite the unexpected surprise a year ago, originally being brought up to take Jorge Soler‘s place while he battled with an injury. Bonifacio would never get sent back down.

This isn’t the worst thing to ever happen, no, but it certainly puts a damper on the Royals’ parade. Bonifacio hit 17 dingers last year and played decent right field. Now the Royals will have to figure out a new outfield situation, which will likely revolve around Alex Gordon, Jon Jay, Paulo Orlando, and Jorge Soler.

Bringing in Cabrera would add another insurance outfielder and would add some pop to the Royals lineup. Even adding Neil Walker could lead to having Merrifield in the outfield more often, which isn’t a bad scenario either.

As Torres touched on earlier, however, the Royals have Tyler Collins and Michael Saunders taking at bats in spring training. If either of those guys make a lasting impression, it’s very possible that they become every day contributors for the Kansas City Royals in 2018.

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