Kansas City Royals need to consider signing Devon Travis

The Kansas City Royals might be in the market for a second baseman this offseason. Could Devon Travis fit the bill?

Devon Travis has rejected his outright assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays and has elected free agency. The Kansas City Royals are likely to move Whit Merrifield to left field if Alex Gordon decides to retire or not re-sign. The oft injured Devon Travis could be an interesting signing for the Royals.

The Royals are in a position of signing high risk/high reward free agents this offseason.

Adalberto Mondesi is rehabbing from shoulder surgery and he may not be ready by time the regular season rolls around, forcing Nicky Lopez to play shortstop until Mondesi is ready. Alex Gordon is considering retirement and the Royals may move Whit Merrifield to a full-time left fielder leaving a hole at second base.

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According to MLB Trade Rumors, Devon Travis has decided to reject his outright assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays and has elected free agency.

Devon Travis (29 in February) has struggled with injuries the last four years, missing all of 2019 recovering from a knee injury (meniscus tear in his left knee). Travis was a promising second base prospect in the Detroit Tigers system before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for outfielder Anthony Gose to the Tigers five years ago.

Travis was impressive in his first two seasons of MLB ball, hitting .304/.361/.498 with 18 doubles and eight home runs in 2015 (62 games) and hitting .300/.332/.454 with 28 doubles, one triple, and 11 home runs in 2016 (101 games).

Injuries have derailed the promising Travis, first suffering a shoulder injury (2015) and in recent years (2016 – 2019), Travis has been dealing with injuries to his knee.

All of the injuries aside, Travis is still considered a plus line-drive hitter (+.270 average) with enough power to generate 10+ homeruns in a full season of at-bats. He has good instincts on the base-paths and enough speed to generate around ten stolen bases per year.

He has enough range, arm strength, and instincts to be at least average defensively. If he were able to get more reps and stay healthy, Travis could become above average defensively.

A one-year contract signing ($1.5 million value) is a great option for Travis to prove he’s healthy and capable of returning to his promising form. Travis is still eligible for arbitration after signing a one-year contract and the Royals could utilize this position if they find Travis to be back in good health and production to retain the promising second basemen.

Nicky Lopez and Adalberto Mondesi are the future for the Royals in the middle infield, but Devon Travis offers a quality bench option or trade bait if he’s able to show health and production in 2020.

The Kansas City Royals don’t have many internal options ready to play second base if Mondesi isn’t ready to go by season’s start and Whit Merrifield has been moved to left field to fill the void of Alex Gordon.