KC Royals Free Agent Hunt: Any help in San Diego?

A former hot KC Royals outfield prospect is on the free agent market.

When it comes to Wil Myers and Kansas City, there exists a certain, but not terribly strong, nostalgic pull. The club picked him in the third round of the 2009 amateur draft, but the hype that immediately surrounded him seemed bigger than a third-round prepster might reasonably warrant.

The notion of Myers patrolling Kauffman Stadium’s outfield so enamored fans that many were crushed when, before he played even an inning in Kansas City, the club packaged him up and shipped him to Tampa Bay in the surprising three-team 2012 winter trade that made James Shields and Wade Davis Royals.

The deal worked out well for the Royals—Shields and Davis helped KC to the World Series in 2014 and Davis played a critical bullpen role in the team’s return to, and triumph in, the 2015 Series.

Myers seemed well on the way to matching his hype when he made it to the majors in 2013 and hit 13 homers and slashed .293/.354/.478 in 88 games. But he never quite measured up to the superstar-like buildup. That .293 average remains his best (he’s batting .254 for his career), he’s reached 20 homers only twice in 10 seasons, he’s driven in more than 75 runs only once, and he’s batted better than .260 only three times.

A problematic right knee allowed Myers to play only 77 games this season and helps explain why he failed to hit at least 10 homers for the first time since 2015. He’s now a free agent because the Padres recently declined his 2023 option.
Should Kansas City take a chance and bring Myers home? No. He’s a first baseman-outfielder, and the Royals are well-stocked in both areas.

The KC Royals might consider 2 hurlers, including a former Royal prospect.

Sean Manaea’s name surfaced frequently as the 2022 trade deadline approached. Pitching in his seventh major league season, the lefty who was a top Kansas City prospect until the team’s need for 2015 stretch run help caused them to swap him and Aaron Brooks to Oakland for Ben Zobrist, found himself the subject of daily trade speculation.

But a deal never came and Manaea finished the season with San Diego, who’d acquired him via a trade with the A’s a few days before the season began. He went 8-9 with a 4.96 ERA in 30 appearances (28 starts), and lost a game to Philadelphia in the NLCS.

What ought to make Manaea attractive to the Royals is his talent. He gave Oakland five decent years, going 50-41, 3.86 in 129 games, all but one of which were starts, and threw two shutouts in 2021. His career BB/9 is only 2.34, his career ERA just a shade above 4.00 at 4.06.

Only 30, Manaea is a veteran starter who could help Kansas City’s shaky rotation. Picollo should give him a call.

San Diego’s final free agent for the Royals to think about is righthanded starter Mike Clevinger, a familiar name to KC fans because he beats their team like a drum—he’s 9-0 with a 1.98 ERA against the Royals, the best record he owns against any big league club.

But Clevinger also hasn’t been kind to other clubs. He’s 51-30 lifetime and, from 2017 through 2019, won 38 games for Cleveland.

Clevinger was only 7-7 in 2022, a disappointing record likely due in no small part to his missing the entire 2021 season after Tommy John Surgery. He also had knee and triceps issues this season.

Is Clevinger worth consideration? Perhaps, but signing him isn’t without risk, and he’s almost certain to leave if he succeeds on a one-year “show me”-type deal.

Of San Diego’s free agents, the Royals should think about only two.