KC Royals: Making the case, Houston Astros free agents

One team who bottomed out but came back into prominence during KC Royals playoff runs in ’14 and ’15 has managed to maintain that success.

Welcome back to Kings of Kauffman’s continuing series analyzing the major league free agent market and projecting who might, or might not, fit the KC Royals’ needs. Today we look at the Astros’ free agents.

The effects of the cheating scandal seemed to weigh heavily as Houston had a sub-.500 record for the first time since 2014.  It was good enough to sneak in the playoffs though and the championship pedigree shone through as they advanced all the way to the American League Championship Series losing 4-to-3 to the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Astros have some big-time sluggers available this offseason and one has already received and rejected a qualifying offer.  They also have a package of pitchers, mostly relievers who could help another team.

Highly sought after outfielder

The big prize in the bunch is George Springer of course.  During his seven years with the Astros he has clubbed 174 home runs, reached base at a .361 clip, and had an OPS+ of 114 or higher each season.

Springer made three consecutive All-Star teams from 2017-2019.  ’19 was his best year as a professional producing a .974 OPS and finishing seventh in the MVP voting.  He also brought home his second Silver Slugger award.

While 2020 was a drop from the prior campaign, Springer still posted his second-best OPS while cutting back on strikeouts by three percent.  He banged four dingers in the playoffs and demolished Oakland pitching with a .389/.421/.778 slash in four contests.

Heading into his age 31 season, the fielding in the outfield is still pretty good although the assists have diminished from a career-high 12 in 2016.  In fact, Springer had zero of those during this summer.

The outfield is a major question mark for the KC Royals and Springer would fit in nicely both in the field and absolutely in the lineup.  With potentially $25 million per year deal and a five-year commitment possible, would – and should – Kansas City jump into the fray?

It would be a great splash to show the league the Royals are ready to contend but the length of the contract is worrisome due to the potential decline in keeping baserunners honest with his arm and how his legs would hold up in the final years of the deal.

Sabermetrics point to decreases in Home Run and Extra Base Hit percentages.  The most concerning though is that seven percent jump in fly balls that were caught on the infield.  That could be a sign that future seasons may see a drop in power numbers.

I would say the Royals should keep on eye to see how contract negotiations go with the slugger and if it ends up being watered down they can jump into the fray to see if they can get a deal.

There is no doubt this hitter is a premier player but the ability to stay healthy is a major gamble.

When Michael Brantley can play a full season he puts up great numbers.  A career .297/.354/.440 slash will back that up.  Keeping him on the field is part of the risk you must be willing to take.

The Astros put Brantley at designated hitter more times than in leftfield hoping to preserve the bat in the lineup.  He will turn 34 next May and despite projections that he could fetch a 3-year deal at roughly $21 million per, that seems pretty overpriced.  Teams may make the DH move permanent to ease the wear and tear.

The issue for the KC Royals would be that as of now they have a steady DH in Jorge Soler and really could use the outfield help, especially on defense with the retirement of eight-time Gold Glove winner Alex Gordon.  Signing Brantley puts too much hope in that he would make it through the season without spending possibly a considerable amount of time on the injured list.

One much cheaper, and less glamorous possibility is Josh Reddick.  We are a long way from the 2017 season where he hit over .300 while chipping in 51 extra-base hits.

Reddick seems pretty durable sticking to the outfield for the majority of his games but he also is less than stellar with his glove.  Overall he had a negative WAR for 2020 but if he could put up numbers similar to last year with 15 homers and a .275 average it would sadly be a big improvement for a Royals corner OF.

I think a 2-year commitment for $3-4 million is not unreasonable and would keep the seat temporarily warm while we see what all outfielders in the organization are ready to contribute at the major league level.

Houston does have a catcher whose contract has expired in Dustin Garneau but he would not add anything to the KC Royals that they do not already have under contract.