Kansas City Royals Rumors: Team signs another former Braves prospect

Just one day after signing Yefri Del Rosario, the Kansas City Royals signed another former Braves prospect. This one is Cuban outfielder Juan Carlos Negret.

There’s something to be said for taking advantage of another team’s mistakes. And the Kansas City Royals have done an excellent job of benefiting from the sanctions MLB placed on Atlanta this offseason. For the second time this week, the Royals signed a former Braves prospect.

After an investigation into their international signing practices, the Braves had 12 prospects deemed free agents by MLB. The Kansas City Royals snatched up hard-throwing pitcher Yefri Del Rosario on Tuesday. Then late Wednesday night, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez, who also broke the news on the Del Rosario deal, reported the organization had agreed to sign outfielder Juan Carlos Negret.

Terms of the deal are currently unknown. However, it should be noted the team can use international signing money from next year’s allotment — a special provision, specifically pertaining to the dozen ex-Braves prospects. The Kansas City Royals have yet to confirm either signing, as of this writing. Here’s Sanchez’s tweet breaking the Negret news:

What should Royals fans expect?

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A native of Cuba, Negret stands at 6-foot-1 and weighs 190 pounds. In his first professional season, he played 50 games in the Dominican Summer League. Negret slashed .264/.410/.391. clearly showing his propensity for reaching base outweighs his power, at this point. The right-handed hitting Negret had 46 hits and 27 walks in 174 at-bats. He also stole 23 bases, although he did get caught nine times. The 18-year-old managed to score 31 runs, but he only drove in 10.

Those numbers aren’t terrible. But Negret looked a lot better before a midseason injury. Through the end of June, he had a triple-slash line of .306/.451/.528. Granted that consisted of just 19 games, but it’s clear his numbers dipped — particularly his slugging percentage — after missing a few weeks.

After returning on July 19, he had only six extra-base hits (all doubles) with five of them coming between Aug. 12-19. Whether Negret ever fully recovered physically or just regressed to the mean is hard to say. But his numbers show a fairly high floor, especially if the power numbers can return to a pre-injury level.

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What do you think? Have the Kansas City Royals made a pair of shrewd pickups? Let us know your thoughts.