Kansas City Royals: Signing Marwin Gonzalez would help competitiveness

The Kansas City Royals enter 2019 looking to be more competitive than they were last season. Signing Marwin Gonzalez could be a quality, inexpensive way to achieve that goal.

There is no doubt the Kansas City Royals are in the middle of a rebuild. Just three seasons after winning the World Series, the team won only 58 games in 2018. Marwin Gonzalez would be a perfect choice to help this team be competitive in the short term.

The Royals have a long list of exciting young players to keep an eye on as they make their way through the minor system. MJ Melendez, Kyle Isbel, Seuly Matias, Nick Pratto, Daniel Lynch, Austin Cox, Carlos Hernandez, and Khalil Lee are all 21 or younger and probably at least two years away.

In the meantime, the Royals will be developing youngsters farther along in the process this year. Ryan O’Hearn had a breakout season in 2018 and is looking to build on that. Brett Phillips, acquired in the Mike Moustakas trade with the Brewers is an enticing talent. Hunter Dozier is a homegrown kid getting his chance at the big league level, and Adalberto Mondesi might be the next young star for the Kansas City Royals.

Gonzalez is just sitting out there in the frigid free agent pool without many apparent suitors. According to Ty Bradley of MLB Trade Rumors, there is limited interest in the versatile player right now.

"But the market surrounding the Venezuelan-born infielder/outfielder, to this point in the offseason, has been exceedingly quiet – muzzled, even. The Braves, Padres, and Astros have all been connected to Gonzalez at various hot-stove junctures, though none seem particularly aggressive."

Gonzalez is not a star, but he can play any position on the field but pitcher and catcher. Coupled with Chris Owings and Brian Goodwin as back-ups, Gonzalez would allow the Royals maximum flexibility off their bench. These three players would offer everyday talent in reserve roles, and the team would be well covered in case of injuries, slumps, or poor performances.

The super utility player has a modest career slash – .264/.318/.419/.737 – but in 2017 did flash terrific numbers across the board – .303/.377/.530/.907. Yes, those numbers appear to be more outlier than repeatable, but he will only be 30 years old, and those numbers occurred just two seasons ago.

He’s hit double-digit home runs each of the last four years, and at least 25 doubles in each of the last three seasons. His power is modest, but he can offer some pop.

It is his positional flexibility which should impress. His ability to fill in just about anywhere on the diamond would be a benefit for any team, and he is used to it. In the last two seasons, the Astros played him 54 games at second, 55 at first, 22 at third, 77 at shortstop, 120 in left, three in center, and three in right.

Combined with decent overall offensive skills, he could be a nice veteran presence in the clubhouse and on the field.

The best part of this is, Marwin Gonzalez probably wouldn’t cost much, and they might even get him for a couple of years. If they offered him two years, $11 million, with maybe a third year option worth another $5 million, the Royals could probably secure a talented, versatile veteran that could bridge the gap until the next wave of youngsters is ready for The Show.

Heck, the way the free agent market is playing out, he might not even cost that much! food for thought…

The Kansas City Royals have shown no indication publically they are at all interested in any of the remaining free agents, but Marwin Gonzalez would help this team be more competitive. He would probably come cheap, and he is still young enough to retain his value through two or three seasons. If the Royals want to be better, this would be a sound option.