KC Royals: Making the case, Cleveland free agents

Is a veteran power hitting outfielder a good candidate to join the KC Royals?

For anyone wondering why Yasiel Puig is still considered a Cleveland free agent, the answer is simple. He elected free agency after finishing the 2019 season with the Indians and, after a winter’s long search for employment, headed for Atlanta until a positive COVID-19 test scuttled a deal with the Braves. Puig didn’t play at all in 2020.

But that doesn’t explain why he remains jobless. Puig is a gifted player blessed with power—he hit 75 home runs across 2017-19, including 27 with the Dodgers in ’17, and hasn’t dipped below double-digits in homers in any of his seven major league seasons. His 79 stolen bases prove he has some speed; his .277 career average and .348 OBP are respectable and he plays serviceable outfield defense.

What probably keeps clubs from jumping on the Puig bandwagon is his past. His six-year Dodger career included moments of bad judgment and he too often drew attention to himself for the wrong reasons. By his own admission, he could have worked harder in Los Angeles. The Dodgers didn’t wait for his contract to run out and traded him to Cincinnati after the 2018 season.

Without question, Puig could add punch to Kansas City’s lineup. No one doubts he’d hit his share of home runs, even in spacious Kauffman Stadium. But the Royals are looking for lefthanded power, not righthanded like Puig’s, and if they find a big lefty bat it will likely be in the form of a leftfielder. Puig could play left, but has only done so seven times in 861 games.

Puig will find work for 2021, but it probably won’t with the Royals.

A good infielder and a couple of outfielders round out Cleveland’s free agents.

When the Indians let longtime second baseman Jason Kipnis go after the 2019 campaign, they looked to free agent Cesar Hernandez to replace him. Hernandez, who made his baseball mark as the Phillies’ regular second sacker for most of his seven Philadelphia seasons, didn’t disappoint.

Playing in all but two of the Indians’ 60 games, Hernandez led the American League in doubles with 20, slashed .283/.355/.408, and won the first Gold Glove of his career. His slash lined up well with his career .277/.352/.383 and, while three home runs were far less than the 15 and 14 he clubbed in 2018 and 2019, his bat gave Cleveland nothing to complain about.

Hernandez will turn 31 in May, which means he could probably give the KC Royals at least a couple of productive years. He’d be an immediate offensive improvement over incumbent Royal second baseman Nicky Lopez, but even his recent Gold Glove won’t make him better defensively. Hernandez could help Kansas City, but the club isn’t ready to give up on Lopez’s bat.

Delino DeShields is probably better known to most baseball fans for the five years he spent patrolling the Texas Rangers’ outfield than he is for his one season in Cleveland. DeShields played 539 games for Texas from 2015-2019, most of them in the center, and hit .246 with 18 home runs. He didn’t homer in 37 games with the Indians in 2020 and hit .252. His speed—he stole over 20 bases four times with the Rangers—helps keep him in the big leagues.

The other Cleveland outfielder on the market, Tyler Naquin, has more power (31 homers in five years) and hits better (.274 career average) than DeShields. His glove is also better.

But DeShields and Naquin don’t check the biggest of the KC Royals’ current boxes. DeShields has virtually no power and Naquin doesn’t have enough.

The KC Royals signed Carlos Santana last month. He’s probably the only Cleveland free agent who’ll join the team.