KC Royals: Making the case, Atlanta Braves free agents

The two infielders that will be available are not positive additions the KC Royals should waste time on.

We will not spend too much time on Adeiny Hechavarria who has not played a full year since 2016 and at this point in his career is utility man.  Kansas City is committed to their young infielders for at least another year and has plenty of others to fill the bench roles.

Likewise with Pablo Sandoval.  It seems like he has been around for longer than 13 seasons and it may be time for him to recognize the career is over.

It looked like he tapped back into his former All-Star self in his second go-round with the San Francisco Giants in 2019.  However, this year was brutal with a .546 OPS in 90 at-bats leading to his departure.  He then played one regular season game with the Braves and had three at-bats in playoffs.  Nothing to see here for the Royals.

The outfielders show more promise

After initially opting out of the 2020 season, Nick Markakis had a change of heart and appeared in 37 games for Atlanta.  His veteran presence was important to the club throughout the playoff run.

Although he will be 37 going into next season, the KC Royals could take advantage of his leadership in the outfield, a position that is still in flux for them.  His career .357 OBP is much needed on a club that struggles to get on base.

He will not make highlight reels with his play in right or left field but he does not hurt you with errors.  He only made $4 million this year and this could be a nice under the radar pickup that would be valuable to Kansas City.

Lastly, we have what could be the National League MVP on the market.  The case was made Marcell Ozuna would be a good fit for the Royals to sign last year but he ended up with the Braves for $18 million on a one-year deal.

Now that he led the NL in home runs, RBIs, and total bases, even in a depressed market it is predicted he could go for over $20 million per year.  Chances are he would be out of the price range of John Sherman at that rate.

Possibly a longer contract could drive that price down but anything more than a five-year offer would be unwise.  Should the Royals pursue him? Absolutely.  Is there a chance he would sign with them?  Not likely.

That wraps up the free agents from the Atlanta Braves.  Again, some intriguing and well-established names but only a couple of them would make sense for the KC Royals to consider inking into a deal.