KC Royals add veteran outfielder in eleventh-hour trade with Brewers

With less than a week until Opening Day, the Kansas City Royals are not done adding to their roster for 2025. The club is reportedly trading for Milwaukee Brewers first baseman/outfielder Mark Canha, according to The New York Post's Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman. MLB.com's Anne Rogers also reported the same, adding that Kansas City will send either a player to be named later or cash to Milwaukee in exchange.

Rogers also squashed any possibility that the 10-year MLB veteran would be waiting in Triple-A Omaha, but rather joining Kansas City's bench. Canha had signed a minor-league deal with the Brewers in February that included an opt-out clause if they didn't add him to their major-league roster. By bringing him to Kansas City's major-league roster, Canha will earn $1.4 million.

What will Mark Canha bring to the KC Royals in 2025?

While Canha's spring training performance has been underwhelming — .087/.250/.261 across 28 plate appearances — he did manage one home run in Cactus League play and showed his characteristic plate discipline by walking four times, matching his strikeout total. This trade appears to be a low-risk move by Kansas City, banking on Canha to bounce back from a subpar year in 2024.

The 36-year-old veteran has spent the past two seasons with four different teams, starting last year with the Royals' AL Central rival, the Detroit Tigers. Over the 2023-2024 seasons, he posted a respectable .252/.350/.374 batting line across 264 games, demonstrating above-average offensive production with both his OPS+ and wRC+. Impressively, Canha hasn't recorded a below-average wRC+ since his breakout season with the Athletics in 2018.

The exact role Canha will fill for Kansas City remains to be seen, but he provides a valuable right-handed bat capable of handling backup duties in left field or at first base. While not a Gold Glove-caliber defender at either position, Canha is a capable player. However, the Royals' primary motivation for this move likely lies in his bat and his proven plate discipline. Since 2021, Canha has consistently maintained a double-digit walk rate, a significant improvement over the on-base skills by Kansas City's outfielders last season.

There are some red flags with Canha, but the same could be said of Kansas City's exisitng bench outfield options. Former first-round pick Nick Pratto and slugger Nelson Velázquez were considered leading candidates for those roles, but neither has stood out this spring, and both lack Canha's established track record at the major league level. Given that both Pratto and Velázquez are out of minor-league options, Canha's addition could potentially lead to one of them being removed from the 40-man roster.

All in all, this move makes Kansas City's prospective Opening Day roster marginally better, but baseball can be won and lost in those margins. Hopefully the Royals do not have to lean on Canha too much in 2025, and are able to keep him as simply a depth piece and positive clubhouse presence.