Kansas City Royals: What the signing of Ryan Goins could mean

Option 1:

Option 1 is pretty simple. The Royals are unsure about whether or not Raul Mondesi Jr., Cheslor Cuthbert or Ramon Torres are ready to take the next step forward.

With a pretty uninspiring performance in 2017, both Mondesi and Cuthbert could have raised some doubt and concern about their futures. Perhaps the two are not ready to take on an everyday role.

Over his very short and small sample size career, Mondesi has been bad. Hitting just .181/.226/.271 over his 72 games is not something to celebrate. His defense has been something that has saved him thus far. Being just 22-year-old could be the reason for his lack of offense, and with time it could get better. Last year in Triple-A Omaha he hit .289/.320/.513 over 93 games. If his offense can pick up, then he is an everyday player. However, being 22-years-old could mean the Royals wait just a little longer on bringing him up to the majors.

Cuthbert is a very interesting story. While covering for Mike Moustakas in 2016, Cuthbert gave the idea that maybe a contract extension for Moustakas is not necessary. He hit .274/.318/.413 with 12 home runs over 128 games. When he took on a more “spot-start” role in 2017 Cuthbert had a dramatic dip in his numbers. He hit just .231/.275/.322 and two home runs over 58 games. The Royals could be doubting which Cuthbert is more likely to be the real Cuthbert. Is 2016 what a consistent playing-time Cuthbert can produce? Or is 2017 more likely to be what his career consists of?

Lastly is the wild card player. Torres is still a big “unknown” for the Royals. He did a decent job filling in at times last year, posting a .243/.291/.284 slash. Torres could be close, but he seems to be further away from being MLB ready then both Mondesi and Cuthbert are.