Royals Trade Rumors: The Possible Return of Emilio Bonifacio

Remember when the Royals designated Emilio Bonifacio for assignment, mainly because it was felt that Bonifacio would not accept a bench role? Essentially, the Royals paid Bonifacio to go away, as he became a free agent before signing with the Chicago Cubs. Now, in a quest to upgrade the depth on their bench, Dayton Moore has turned his lonely eyes to…Emilio Bonifacio.

According to Bruce Levin of 670 The Score, the Royals are one of several teams who are closing in on a trade with the Cubs for the erstwhile second baseman. Not even six months after cutting Bonifacio loose, Moore may be looking to bring him back into the fold.

The Royals could certainly use a more productive bench. Their trade earlier in the week was seemingly geared towards providing just that, as Danny Valencia was sent out for Erik Kratz and to bring Christian Colon back to the majors. The acquisition of Emilio Bonifacio would help, given his versatility and speed.

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While Bonifacio has put together a decent season for the Cubs, producing a .279/.318/.373 batting line with 14 stolen bases, it is still a bit frustrating that this is a player the Royals may be targeting. They had Bonifacio, and chose to pay $575,000 to send him away. Now, if Dayton Moore is truly interested in bringing him back, the Royals will likely need to part with something to bring him back in.

Perhaps something has changed with Emilio Bonifacio, where he would now accept a bench role with the Royals. Or perhaps Moore realized that he made a mistake in letting him go, and is seeking to rectify that error while improving the team. However, if Bonifacio does return, the fact of the matter remains that the Royals will have paid him to leave, and would be paying something else to bring him back.

Emilio Bonifacio could certainly help the Royals down the stretch. He also could have helped them through the first three months of the year as well.