Kansas City Royals Absolutely Have the Money to Sign Eric Hosmer

3.) Hosmer’s Value Higher in KC

Hosmer may actually be more valuable to the Kansas City Royals than any other team.

Teams are going to get into a bidding war this offseason for Hosmer—and rightfully so. Hosmer is 25th in the MLB in wRC+, 27th in wOBA and 35th in WAR. He’s a top-10 first baseman by almost every statistic that exists. His leadership skills and work in the community have also not gone unnoticed.

The thing is, Boston and New York don’t need to pay top-tier first baseman money to a second-tier first baseman. The Kansas City Royals do. Hosmer means more to KC than just his ability to hit and play first base. The Royals need a face of the franchise. In one of the smallest markets in baseball, Hosmer is a face the entire country knows.

The Royals need a face of the franchise. In one of the smallest markets in baseball, Hosmer is a face the entire country knows.

The Kansas City Royals need a star. With their TV deal coming up again in 2019, they need someone for fans to watch. The Royals need Hosmer to be their spokesperson, their All-Star, their ticket seller and their money-maker. New York and Boston can get that anywhere.

It actually makes more financial sense for the Kansas City Royals to pay up for Hosmer than it does for teams like the Yankees and Red Sox to pay up for him.

4.) Future Payroll Space Will Open Up

The $130 million over the next three years may sound like a lot for a rebuild, but it gets a lot better.

The Royals’ TV deal is up in 2019, and so is Alex Gordon‘s contract. Ian Kennedy will come off the books after 2020, as well. That’s a combined $36 million/year that will come off the books soon after Hosmer would theoretically sign his mega-deal—with an added revenue boost coming in from the new TV deal.

Drop that payroll down closer to $100 million—add in the revenue from a new TV deal—and the Kansas City Royals’ financial situation looks better in 2021 than it does right now, to be certain.