9 Royals Who Won't Return in 2024
By Joe Summers
4. MJ Melendez - RF
Freddy Fermín's strong performance renders Melendez's catching abilities moot, and the former heir apparent to Salvy hasn't progressed the way fans hoped he would.
Melendez hit just .235 with a -.4 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) and has limited defensive range. If he isn't hitting well, he's not positively contributing to the ballclub.
The Royals have to be aggressive and capitalize when players' trade value is high, similar to the Aroldis Chapman trade that landed us Cole Ragans.
MJ Melendez, last 30 games:
— Royals Daily (@RoyalsDaily_) August 18, 2023
.313/.358/.554
112 AB, 6 HR, 13 RBI, 7 BB, 26 SO pic.twitter.com/aSMxJoPQnx
Melendez boosted his value in the final two months of the year, hitting .280 in August and .261 in September with an impressive 18 walks and 12 RBI in the final month.
That sounds like the kind of "sell-high" opportunity the Royals have to take of advantage of, right?