KC Royals must sign one newly available outfielder

The Colorado Rockies made a surprising choice by not working to re-sign the 10th overall pick in the 2012 draft.

While that seems like an eternity ago, David Dahl was selected out of high school and will only turn 27 next April.  He reached the big leagues in 2016 but has only been able to play 264 games in the majors since then due to injuries.

When not on the injured list, Dahl put up quality numbers outside of his 2020 campaign.  He was an All-Star in 2019 and his career slash is .286/.334./494.  He is a left-handed hitter that would mix in well with the powerful righties in the Kansas City lineup.

His fielding is not spectacular but definitely would not be an anchor to the KC Royals.  Dahl can go all three outfield positions but has spent more time in the corner spots which is where the team would need him to play.

His salary of almost $2.5 million may not decrease despite the bad year as he has youth and plenty of potential.  Despite the fact he may be more fragile than your loved one’s favorite Christmas ornament, a multi-year deal for a reasonable sum would be a wise gamble for the Royals.

Is 2020 a blip on the radar for former White Sox player?

After acquiring Nomar Mazara for this last season, the south side Chicago team had to be extremely disappointed.  Averaging 20 home runs per year while with the Texas Rangers, Mazara only hit one(!) for the Pale Hose.

His OBP is not overly impressive with a career .318, but again, it is much higher than Kansas City’s the last few years.  The 6’4″ lefthander will only be 26 next season and had four consistent years at the plate before the blowup in ’20.

His career .990 fielding in the outfield on top of 27 assists show he can more than handle his own in the big grass area.  While he could play either corner spot, right field has been his dominant position.

He should expect less than the five and half million the White Sox were due to pay him in 2020 but even in a suppressed market a team might shell out $4 million for a one or two year deal to see if he can recapture his prior success.  Mazara is not the first player the Royals should target but could be an option if others sign elsewhere.

While the power of this lefthander is undoubted, will it play in other ballparks?

The Minnesota Twins decided to not pay out more money for Eddie Rosario this week.  A bit of a surprise as he has been a consistent producer in their lineup for years.

Rosario led the majors in triples his rookie year in ’15 to go along with his 18 doubles and 13 home runs.  From ’17-’19 he smashed 27, 24, and 32 dingers, respectively.  In a shortened 2020 he still clubbed another 13 balls out of the park.

And still, the Twins decided that after a $7.75 million contract year they did not want to pay out whatever it would take to bring Rosario back.  It could be a sign the player is looking for a larger pay raise than the market is willing to bear right now.

He does not strike out a lot, but he does not reach base as often either, posting a career .310 OBP.  Rosario is not the smoothest in the outfield with a .976 fielding percentage – although he does have an arm that his 53 assists will attest to.

On top of being wary of his reaching base, one area the KC Royals should look at are his career splits.  When playing games outside of Minnesota, Rosario hits fewer home runs (-15), strikeouts more (+53), and has a lower OPS (-.78).  These are all concerning facts when thinking about giving up several million per year.

Remaining options to use in case of emergency

There are a handful of others who could be a possibility but may not be any better than internal candidates the Royals have.  They include Brian Goodwin, Adam Duvall, Tyler Naquin, Ben Gamel, and Delino DeShields.

Each one of them has had an intriguing year or two but overall have not performed consistently enough to justify handing over a big contract.  A small deal with a backup or utility outfield role could be a possibility though.

If you have noticed a theme with the players highlighted, it is they are left-handed and have power.  This is a component missing on the team since Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer left.  To mix a bat from the other side of the plate while filling a much-needed outfield role will be a key push for the KC Royals to return to playoff contention.