Where Free Agents Will Sign If Kansas City Royals Completely Rebuild

There seems to be a likely scenario where the Kansas City Royals enter a full teardown and rebuild. What does that mean for the future of the team’s free agents? Here are logical landings spots.

The chances are increasing that the Kansas City Royals will opt for a complete teardown instead of a partial rebuild. For some fans, it’s a nightmare scenario. For others, it’s the only logical way to go.

That means none of the players recently granted free agent status would be re-signed. It also means none of the top free agents elsewhere would likely be pursued. There would be plenty of new faces in Kansas City next year. But they would come from Omaha and Northwest Arkansas, as opposed to say Atlanta and Texas.

So the rest of this exercise will be done under the premise that the Kansas City Royals approached this offseason looking to completely rebuild. It gives us a chance to explore what other places make logical sense for the now-former players. While many of these guys have plenty of options, some situations fit players better than others.

Some of these guys are unlikely to return regardless of the team’s future plans. Others will be back should the Kansas City Royals intend to compete in 2018. Still others will have their future directly determined by the team’s direction.

Without further ado, here are the best spots for former Royals to end up this winter. (Note: Due to limited interest, we didn’t include Peter Moylan or Trevor Cahill.)

Alcides Escobar

There are few Kansas City Royals players who have been more polarizing than Alcides Escobar. He’s not polarizing in the way some players are. Nobody can question his attitude or commitment. Playing every day is a rarity in today’s game, and Escobar has done it three times in the past four seasons.

But there are many fans, a majority perhaps, who argued Escobar needed to be benched this past season. Consecutive games played streak be damned, his bat has not been what it used to be. His numbers haven’t dropped as dramatically as most people think. But there’s always been a question about his high strikeout-rate and low walk-rate. In 2017, Escobar struck out 102 times while drawing just 15 walks.

His speed also completely abandoned him. Escobar went from 17 steals in 21 tries to four in 11. For someone who is clearly not a power hitter, it’s hard to justify playing someone with so many strikeouts, so few walks and no speed. Even defensively, Escobar has fallen off. Since winning the Gold Glove in 2015, his defense has dropped considerably.

Even with all that information, there is still a large portion of the Kansas City Royals fanbase that wants him back next year. If that doesn’t happen, there will be maybe just a couple of teams looking for an almost 31-year-old shortstop. (Note: Escobar hasn’t played anywhere else in the infield at the major league level, so I doubt he will start anytime soon.)

Since the shortstop market is a tough one to gauge, we’ll say the most logical spot is the only organization that is clearly in the market — San Diego. The Padres won’t compete in 2018 and have some young studs at shortstop not yet ready for the big leagues. Escobar would buy them some time.

Logical spot: San Diego Padres

Mike Minor

No Kansas City Royals player improved their career outlook more in 2017 than Mike Minor. Some guys put up great contract-year numbers. But given the uncertainty of what Minor would bring to the bullpen, he came away a big winner. Now, we wait to see who wins the sweepstakes.

An ideal candidate would have some money to spend and some room for error should Minor regress mightily in 2018.

To become a free agent, Minor had to decline a mutual option with the club for 2018. Heading into the season, the idea that Minor would turn down $10 million from the Kansas City Royals to test free agency would have been laughable. That’s what a remarkable turnaround season will do for you.

Minor proved he could handle any role in the bullpen. As a former starter, he can pitch a few innings with no ill effects. The left-hander can be a specialist, holding left-handed hitters to a .163 batting average and no home runs. Beyond that, Minor proved he could handle high-leverage situations. He pitching incredible well as a setup man and closer. His versatility could be his greatest asset.

However, it clouds his value a bit. He will likely sign with a team that sees him filling its closer role. If that doesn’t happen, Minor could settle for an eight-inning position with room for advancement. It’s incredibly hard to predict how teams will view Minor after he missed all of 2015 and 2016 recovering from shoulder surgery. An ideal candidate would have some money to spend and some room for error should Minor regress mightily in 2018.

That leads us to the Astros. The World Series champion’s biggest weakness is the bullpen — with the team in dire need of a left-handed option.

Logical Spot: Houston Astros

Melky Cabrera

Some people thought Melky Cabrera could return to the Kansas City Royals in 2018 after he got off to such a good start following his midseason trade. That notion died out as quickly as the Royals’ playoff chances.

Regardless, Cabrera is too good of a player to be out of work next season. The switch-hitter has the ability to play both corner outfield spots, adding to his potential list of employers. Although the 33-year-old is unlikely to get more than a two-year deal, Cabrera has been plenty productive over his past few years.

Since 2014, he’s never failed to reach 170 hits, 70 runs, 73 RBI and 248 total bases. However, Cabrera’s slash line has fluctuated considerably. Over that span, his batting average has been between .301 and .273, his on-base percentage has been between .351 and .314 and his slugging percentage has been between .458 and .394. That inconsistency will impact his bottom line but not in a significant way.

Teams will always be in the market for versatile outfielders. The Kansas City Royals needed one after Jorge Soler failed to pan out, bringing back their 2011 outfielder. Likewise, one of Cabrera’s former teams could be in need of a new right fielder. With Toronto declining Jose Bautista‘s club option for 2018, the Blue Jays could use Cabrera. He played for the organization previously from 2013-14, giving him some familiarity with the club.

Cabrera already has a history of returning to his old stomping grounds. Why not another trip back to Canada for a year or two?

Logical spot: Toronto Blue Jays

Lorenzo Cain

With an extremely weak crop of center fielders, Lorenzo Cain should be in for a nice payday. As the clear cream of the crop, Cain will have no shortage of suitors. Leg problems and his age — he’ll be 32 in April — will keep him from landing a five-year contract. But he should be well compensated after a nice bidding war.

With his skill set, Cain could be the target of a team pushing for the postseason. He could also fit in well with a team looking to compete in a few years.

After finishing third in MVP voting in 2015, Cain suffered through an injury plagued 2016 campaign. He bounced back this past season, playing 155 games and hitting exactly .300. Cain displayed his full array of power (15 home runs) and speed (26 steals in 28 tries) in 2017. However, his lack of runs (86) and RBI (49) illustrate the offensive struggles of the Kansas City Royals.

With his skill set, Cain could be the target of a team pushing for the postseason. He could also fit in well with a team looking to compete in a few years. There’s a good chance Cain moves to right field in a couple of seasons, too. That simple conversion will make him an even more attractive free agent candidate, because teams won’t have to weigh the gamble of Cain blocking a potential top prospect.

All that makes him the perfect candidate for a Rangers team that will be looking to replace Carlos Gomez, who could be coming to Kansas City. Cain’s combination of hitting for average and drawing walks should make him a key contributor for Texas. With the power the lineup possesses, Cain will spend plenty of time running the bases. His ability to start a rally all by himself will be a welcome addition to a team that relied too much on the home run in 2017.

Logical spot: Texas Rangers

Mike Moustakas

Coming into 2017, Mike Moustakas seemed destined for a large payout. The extent of said payout would depend — more than almost any other free agent — directly on how that season went. Moustakas had performed extremely well with the Kansas City Royals during their 2014 postseason run and carried that momentum over into 2015.

After helping the franchise win the 2015 World Series, the third baseman suffered a devastating knee injury in a collision with Alex Gordon that essentially ended the Royals’ chances to repeat. Thankfully, he recovered fully enough to start on Opening Day 2017. By the end of the season, Moustakas had shown he deserves a deal worth at least $75 million over about five years.

His slash line of .272/.314/.521 was well above his career averages of .251/.305/.425. Obviously, the biggest jump came in the slugging department, thanks to his 38 home runs that set a franchise record. Elsewhere his stats seemed to dip, Moustakas had just 34 walks to his 94 strikeouts and his defense dropped off considerably.  But in this day and age, home runs get you paid. It will also help that the third base market isn’t deep after Moustakas and Todd Frazier.

There will be a few teams fighting to pay Moustakas this winter. The most logical fit would seem to be the Angels. FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman has already reported the Angels will be interested in Moustakas. Not only is he from Los Angeles but also he fills a huge need for the team. If the Angels want him, Moustakas will be in Southern California next year.

Logical spot: Los Angeles Angels

Eric Hosmer

Kansas City Royals fans are loath to read anything that suggests Eric Hosmer won’t return for 2018. So if you are reading this, we thank you for playing along. In reality, Hosmer’s decision could determine the fate of the franchise. It might sound like hyperbole. But should the first baseman decide to leave, it seems to reason the organization will enter the kind of complete teardown on which this article is based.

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If the Kansas City Royals hadn’t signed Ian Kennedy to a ridiculous contract or re-signed Gordon to an increasingly awful deal, then the team would be much more likely to bring back Hosmer. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The team could still re-sign him, particularly if the market doesn’t turn out the way people are predicting. Contrary to some positions, the first baseman pool is fairly deep this offseason.

Hosmer should still be considered the best of the group, and arguably the top non-pitching free agent. He picked a perfect time for a career year. In 2017, he set personal-bests in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Hosmer also matched his most runs scored and home runs in a single season.

It’s likely Hosmer and agent Scott Boras will seek a seven-year deal. At worst, some team should lock him down for six years. Having just turned 28, Hosmer should have several top-notch seasons before a likely slide during the final few years of the contract. Most teams would take that, depending on how much money they sink into the former No. 3 overall pick.

The team most likely to pony up for Hosmer — outside of Kansas City — seems to be Boston. Heyman has also mentioned this possibility, and it makes a lot of sense. The Yankees appear ready to put their faith in Greg Bird, while most of the other major-market teams are also set at the position. Boston, though, will lose Mitch Moreland this winter. And Hosmer makes for a logical replacement.

Logical spot: Boston Red Sox

Next: Royals 2017 Award Winners

Fans, what do you think? Should the Royals go with a full rebuild or aim to compete in 2018? Let us know it the comments.