Kansas City Royals: 2020 free agent options, Part II: Batters
By Cullen Jekel
Returning Batters
Excluding the position of catcher, the Kansas City Royals could return their entire lineup from this week for 2020. Now, that’s not saying they should do that, only that they could do that.
Please, please, please–don’t do that.
Still, it seems certain that at least five batters have locks on next year’s team. Thankfully, 60% of those batters play positions up the middle while 80% of those batters have enough versatility to play multiple positions throughout the year, if so needed.
The five are, in no particular order: Salvador Perez, Whit Merrifield, Adalberto Mondesi, Hunter Dozier and Jorge Soler.
Perez is coming off a season-long injury. The time may come where the Royals pull a Joe Mauer with him: start giving him more time at a different position, most likely first base. If Moore entertains the idea of trading him this winter, he’d be selling extremely low on the team’s most popular player, the face of the franchise despite not suiting up at all in 2019.
Moore won’t trade Perez. He’ll be back, in all likelihood behind the plate for a ghastly amount of innings. But Perez’s workload and his injury history presents an intriguing roster-building question: keep one back-up catcher, or two? Most likely, Moore will opt for just one with another on the 40-man roster.
Merrifield is, simply, awesome, and the team’s best player. He’s so athletic that he can’t be pigeonholed into merely one position, which gives Moore added maneuverability when targeting free agents. Merrifield can play second, third, and first base in the infield while he’s also capable of manning all three outfield positions. Oh, and he can hit for a solid average, provide decent pop, and steal bases, too.
Like Perez, Mondesi is now giving up some injury concerns, but when he’s healthy, he’s an eye-popping talent at shortstop also capable of playing second. Hopefully, he becomes more durable as he matures.
Both Dozier and Soler are enjoying breakout seasons, finally showing off the pop that made them a first-round pick and the entirety of a trade return for an All-Star closer, respectively.
For most of the season, Dozier’s been manning third, his natural position, but, despite having his moments, grades out poorly over there. Lately, he’s been playing more right field.
Soler, on the other hand, is a poor corner outfielder who may be stuck as the team’s DH. Luckily, the Royals don’t have much to lose next season playing him in the field, but if, ultimately, he is solely the team’s DH, that isn’t such a bad thing, as long as the extension-candidate keeps clubbing home runs.
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