KC Royals decision not to pursue this outfielder in free agency looks genius now

It should be news to nobody that the Kansas City Royals offense is struggling in 2025. After another low-scoring affair on Wednesday night in a 3-2 loss to Seattle, the Royals are averaging a league worst 3.30 runs per game.

It's also no secret that the outfield is at the forefront of it all. Kyle Isbel, while still holding value as decent enough average merchant with elite defense and above average baserunning abilities, is still just a 66 wRC+ hitter this season. Then the corner outfield quintet of Jac Caglianone, Mark Canha, Drew Waters, John Rave and Nick Loftin are all struggling immensely, each sitting at a 66 wRC+ or lower.

While the outfield is undoubtedly an area of need at the moment, that need didn't suddenly arise when the season started. It dates back all the way to the winter where the Royals were linked to multiple names to address this problem area.

One of those names was Alex Verdugo, with some notable outlets referring to him as a good fit for Kansas City.

His 2024 season with the Yankees, where he posted an 84 wRC+, wasn't the best performance to enter free agency with, but he had his moments throughout the year and a track record of being an above average hitter from his days with both the Dodgers and Red Sox. This made the mention of a fit seem somewhat warranted.

The Royals however, opted not to sign Verdugo, instead waiting until the end of spring training to bring in Canha from the Brewers to address their major league outfield needs.

And after the Atlanta Braves designated him for assignment on Wednesday - after what has been a putrid season - to make room for the return of suspended outfielder Jurickson Profar, it only made J.J. Picollo and the Royals' front office's decision to steer clear look that much wiser.

KC Royals decision not to pursue Alex Verdugo in free agency looks genius now

Despite a strong 140 wRC+ in the opening month of the 2025 season, it's been one to forget overall for Verdugo. He followed up that stellar March/April with a 56 wRC+ in May and a 29 wRC+ in June. For the season, Verdugo was slashing just .239/.296/.289 with no homers, 12 RBI, a 66 wRC+ and a -0.9 fWAR in 213 plate appearances.

He's producing below average quality of contact with a 48th percentile hard-hit rate, 49th percentile AVG exit velocity and an 8th percentile barrel rate, while only walking at a 28th percentile clip of 6.6%.

His defense is also less than optimal, as his -5 OAA ranked him in the 7th percentile of the league.

His only redeemable qualities was a strong arm and the ability to stay disciplined at the plate, as his arm strength, K-rate, whiff rate and chase rate all ranked above the 85th percentile.

While we've established the Royals aren't exactly setting the league ablaze from an offensive standpoint, it's safe to say that Verdugo wouldn't have been anything close to a solution to their problems. Their biggest issues have been hitting for power and drawing walks, both of which Verdugo has done very little of himself this year.

Who that solution in the outfield may be or what it may look like remains to be seen, but in a time where the Royals front office is seemingly facing increased criticism, they should be given their flowers when decisions work out. And this is definitely one of those worthy occasions.