Kansas City Royals: Three Bold Offseason Predictions

1.) Royals Re-Sign Eric Hosmer

This should almost be a no-brainer goal for the Kansas City Royals. Eric Hosmer has become the face of this franchise. He is coming off the best year of his career, during which he hit .318/.385/.498 with 25 home runs. He will be in the midst of his prime next season at 28 years old. A leader both on and off the field, Hosmer offers so much more to Kansas City than to any other team who may want him.

What’s more, the presumed bidding war that the team will have to enter into with the Yankees and Red Sox may never materialize. With New York looking to get under the luxury tax, the Yankees will likely stand pat and let Greg Bird man first base in 2018.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox should be in the bidding for Giancarlo Stanton this offseason. Dave Dombrowski loves nothing more than trading away prospects. If he gets that trade done, it is unlikely that Boston would have much money left to spend after taking on what’s left of Stanton’s massive contract.

With the two AL East behemoths out of the picture, Hosmer will be Kansas City’s for the taking. Moore will make the right move and sign Hoz to the largest contract in Royals history. He will return to the team next year with some of his best years in front of him. His steady glove work at first base will take much of the pressure off his new young infield teammates.

In the end, Hosmer will serve the role Alex Gordon recently held as a steady veteran presence leading the next great Royals team through the playoffs.

2. Brandon Moss Traded Away

With Hosmer back, Brandon Moss becomes even more expendable than he already is. The team is going to need to come up with some cash after inking Hosmer to that brand-new deal. It would also make more sense to let someone like Jorge Soler or Hunter Dozier get some reps at designated hitter during this semi-rebuilding year.

The Kansas City Royals signed Moss last offseason to add power to the lineup. With a .428 slugging percentage on the year, it is clear that he didn’t live up to those expectations. Whichever young player replaces him should at least replicate his 2017 numbers. If they don’t, it ultimately doesn’t matter. Because the Royals aren’t going anywhere in 2018.

In order to get a potential suitor to take on the majority of Moss’ $7.25 million contract, Kansas City will likely have to throw in a worthwhile prospect. First baseman Ryan O’Hearn and catcher Chase Vallot are blocked at the major league level and have higher-upside players behind them in Nick Pratto, Samir Duenez and MJ Melendez. Adding one of the two should land a reasonable deal.

With Moss off the team, the Kansas City Royals have more breathing room with the 2018 payroll. They also can use the DH spot to rotate players around and give more of the young guns a chance to play. This scenario improves the long-term and short-term outlook of the team. Paying an aging veteran too much while the future sits on the bench doesn’t help anybody. Moore knows this and will rectify the problem this offseason.

3. Alcides Escobar Returns, Raul Mondesi Moves to Center Field

Esky Magic is not dead yet. Kansas City Royals fans everywhere will let out a collective groan when Alcides Escobar is brought back on a two-year contract. Fans will call Moore crazy, among other adjectives. But there is a method to his madness here.

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The Kansas City Royals are short on center field prospects. They do have another shortstop prospect — Nicky Lopez — who is a few years off from being major league ready. The front office is very high on Lopez and sees him as a potential top-of-the-order bat with a fantastic glove at short.

The solution here is to transition Raul Mondesi to the outfield, where he will have a few seasons to adjust. His athleticism translates to center field and new roving instructor Rusty Kuntz could help Mondesi’s transition. Kuntz has had success converting infielders into Platinum Glove outfielders (see: Alex Gordon). He is more than capable of doing the same with Mondesi.

This clears a path for Lopez to eventually join the team. In the meantime, Escobar will play 324 more games in a Royals uniform. He won’t be very good, but he won’t have to be. Esky is just here to keep the seat warm for Lopez. So whenever Escobar gets up to bat, just go watch the video of his inside-the-park home run to start off Game 1 of the 2015 World Series.

Next: Top Pitching Seasons in Royals History

So what do you think? Do you consider these predictions more boneheaded than bold? Do you have any hot takes of your own? Let us know in the comments.