Kansas City Royals Rumors: Recapping first day of Winter Meetings

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ATLANTA, GA – JUNE 05: Matt Adams /

KC among suitors for Adams?

With Hosmer possibly on his way to realms unknown (maybe even San Diego), the Kansas City Royals have three options for dealing with first base in 2018.

Brandon Moss
Minor leaguer
Outside free agent

Those options are not in any particular order. To be sure, it would make a lot more sense to go with No. 1 or No. 2 if the team completely blows things up this offseason. However, attempting to compete with a decent, cheap Hosmer replacement would be much more palatable for the fanbase.

One player who fits that mold who hasn’t been mentioned much is Matt Adams. After being non-tendered by Atlanta, Adams became a free agent. It’s possible the team just did due diligence, but ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick did report the Royals have expressed interest in Adams:

The #Indians and #Royals have both inquired on 1B Matt Adams. In Cleveland's case, he could be a fallback if Tribe can't bring back Carlos Santana. #Nationals have also inquired on Adams, but as more of a bench bat. Adam Lind, who hit .303 with 14 HRs this year, is a free agent.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) December 11, 2017

His age (29), relative to other replacement options, would appear to be a plus. At this point, though, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Kansas City Royals are rebuffed by Hosmer and turn around to sign another free agent first baseman.

Soria and Hammel on the block

Along with mentioning Adams as a possible addition, Crasnick also mentioned a couple of players the Royals could offload — namely Joakim Soria and Jason Hammel:

The #Royals have let teams know reliever Joakim Soria is available. He’ll make $9 million next year, and they’d like to move some money. Jason Hammel could also be available in trade. Like Soria, he’s signed for $9 million in 2018.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) December 11, 2017

Few fans would miss the aging right-handers. Both could be of use to teams with intention to contend in 2018. Soria has proven he can still be a serviceable — if sometimes frustrating — setup man. Hammel could easily slot into the back of any rotation. He also has the ability to succeed as a long reliever.

Finding teams to take on $9 million for each of them could be tough. It more than likely would be a move that occurs at the trade deadline, assuming neither player completely implodes over the first half of the year.

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