Kansas City Royals: What re-signing Alcides Escobar could mean

On Friday news broke that the Royals were nearing a contract with one of the “Core Four” players. If you made a list of which one of the four fans wanted back, this one was most likely fourth on that list. Alcides Escobar will be back in Kansas City for another year, but what does that mean for Raul Mondesi?

This offseason has been a confusing one for Royals fans. From the trade rumors of Danny Duffy, Whit Merrifield, and Kelvin Herrera, to the rumors of re-signing Eric Hosmer to the largest contract in franchise history. Of all the news though, none have been as confusing as the Royals signing Alcides Escobar to a 1 year, $2.5 million deal.

I am confused but not surprised.  I predicted he would be back in a Royals uniform four months ago. I do not think this move makes sense, especially with the other moves the Royals have made. This makes me believe there are some things they are not telling us.

What about Raul Mondesi?

At the end of last year, I wrote that Raul Mondesi should have been getting more playing time so they could judge his progression against major league talent. However, the front office and scouts obviously believe something else. Recent moves show that the front office feels the 22-year-old is not ready yet.

Going into the offseason, most people would have predicted that Mondesi would be the 2018 starting shortstop for the Royals. The signing of Escobar pretty much guarantees that Mondesi will not be playing shortstop in 2018. But what about another spot? Dayton Moore talked about the direction the Royals are going with the middle-infield.

That statement by Moore is a little confusing. It almost seems as if they are planning on Mondesi being moved to second base at some point this year. However, as far as fans are concerned the second baseman for the Royals is Merrifield in 2018.

The only way that changes is if they plan on trading Merrifield or moving him somewhere else on the field before this year. The one thing all of this seems to show, however, is the Royals do not think Mondesi is not ready just yet.

When they signed Ryan Goins some believe this is an insurance move. I am beginning to believe Goins was signed because they may decide to trade Merrifield. I am even more convinced of that today after listening to Moore.

Final Thoughts

The signing of Escobar adds a quality defensive shortstop. Unfortunately, the move seems to provides more questions than answers. I think this signing means that the Kansas City Royals will have a second baseman not named Whit Merrifield, which could be the right move.

What are your thoughts on bringing Escobar back? Was it a good move? Or does this add more questions then you had on Thursday? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter.