Kansas City Royals: 2020 free agent options, Part II: Batters

Hunter Pence, RF/LF/DH (37)

Pence, the two-time World Series champion as a member of the Giants, seemed all but done before 2019. Then he signed a deal with the Texas Rangers and made his fourth All-Star appearance.

Overall, the 13-year vet, who doesn’t turn 37 until April, is slashing .297/.358/.552 for a .910 OPS, which is 27 percent above average. He’s also hit 17 doubles, 18 home runs and driven in 59 runs.

Those solid numbers come after wasting away in San Francisco the past four seasons, two of which were cut very short due to injury. His current OPS is the highest of his career while his OPS+ (129) his the third highest of his career after seasons in which he was 28 and 30.

The knock is that he’s done this while mostly playing DH. He’s appeared in just seven games in right field this year and another 16 in left. Meanwhile, he’s appeared as the Rangers’ DH 46 times.

Maybe this is the end for Pence.

More likely, a team comes calling asking him to play another season. If that’s the case, Pence, even though he has two World Series rings, would want to play for a team set on competing. If that situation doesn’t realize, then the Royals should talk with him, try to bring him in. He’d be a great veteran asset to a young team, and his presence would also force Soler back into the field.

Except for the risk of injury, that’s not such a bad thing. It would give the team one more season to see if Soler can stick in the outfield while allowing Pence to play nearly everyday while mentoring a group of young, hungry ballplayers.

Others to Consider: Left fielders Corey Dickerson (31) and Matt Kemp (35).