KC Royals' outfield called out as 'most in need of an upgrade'

By the end of November, the Kansas City Royals had already re-signed veteran Michael Wacha and traded starter Brady Singer to the Cincinnati Reds for second baseman Jonathan India, making them one of the more active teams so far this offseason. Still, the team's outfield remains a glaring issue that needs to be addressed.

On November 30, MLB.com's Brian Murphy listed "1 team at each position most in need of an upgrade," and — you guessed it — the Royals were named as a team desperately requiring help in the outfield before 2025.

"Adding offense is a must for the Royals, who scored 15 runs in their six postseason games," Murphy wrote. "They landed their next leadoff hitter when they traded for infielder Jonathan India about 10 days ago. Kansas City should turn its attention from the dirt to the grass at some point this winter."

Murphy continued, "Royals outfielders compiled a .648 OPS and hit 47 home runs, fifth-fewest in the big leagues. Even though their starting trio from 2024 — Hunter Renfroe, Kyle Isbel and MJ Melendez — are all under contract, the club's search for upgrades could be a wide one after that group slashed .221/.284/.386 across 1,249 plate appearances while playing the outfield."

Will the KC Royals bolster their outfield this winter?

The Royals rotated five players in their outfield this season — MJ Melendez, Kyle Isbel, Hunter Renfroe, Tommy Pham, and Garrett Hampson — and none of them provided much help on offense. In fact, all five outfielders posted an OPS under .700, and Hampson's underwhelming .230 batting average was somehow the best any of them managed.

The Royals tendered contracts to both Melendez and Isbel before the deadline on November 22, so despite their underwhelming performances in 2024, both will be back next season. Renfroe exercised his contract's $7.5 million player option for 2025 on October 31, so he will also be back in Kansas City next year, whether the Royals like it or not. Pham and Hampson both became free agents at the end of the 2024 season.

Looking at how the returning outfielders performed this year, it's obvious that there needs to be some serious retooling before next season — and Royals general manager J.J. Picollo seems to agree. Speaking at the team's end-of-season press conference in October, Picollo told reporters that "the offense from the outfield positions has to get better."

“Generally speaking, when you’re looking at left field, right field, that’s where you’re thinking about power guys," he said. "And we know [Kauffman Field] doesn’t lend itself to homers, but it does lend itself to slug. So we’ve got to be more productive there.”

Free agent outfielders for the KC Royals to target

While Kansas City reportedly "checked in on" superstar Juan Soto earlier in the offseason, it was "not a financial fit," according to NY Post's Jon Heyman. That's hardly surprising — especially considering Sportrac projects Soto will sign a 14-year, $513 million deal this winter — but there are still a number of free agent outfielders on the market right now who could fit the Royals' roster.

Teoscar Hernández is far and away the best outfielder available in free agency after Soto, and on October 24, MLB.com's Jim Bowden named the Royals as a "best team fit" for the slugger. In 2024, the 32-year-old slashed .272/.339/.501 with a career-best 33 home runs and 99 RBI, earned the second All-Star selection of his career, and became the first player in Dodgers history to win the MLB Home Run Derby.

Admittedly, Hernández's defense isn't as strong as one would like. His -9 Outs Above Average (OAA) in 2024 ranked him in just the 2nd percentile of all qualified fielders, and his -11 Fielding Run Value (FRV) was the worst of his career. Still, Sportrac predicts Hernández will secure a 3-year, $71.2 million contract this winter, putting his average annual value (AAV) at $23.8 million — just above the $23.5 million he made with Los Angeles in 2024.

Another option for the Royals to consider is Tyler O'Neill, who slashed .241/.336/.511 with 31 home runs and 66 RBI in 411 at-bats this season with the Boston Red Sox. The biggest concern with O'Neill is his injury history — he was limited to just 113 games in 2024, 72 games in 2023, and 96 games in 2022 due to an unfortunate string of issues.

Still, O'Neill was in the 98th percentile in barrel rate at an incredible 17.3%, and while his defense left a bit to be desired this season, his two Gold Glove Awards from 2020 and 2021 inspire hope that he can turn things around now that he's healthy. Sportrac projects O'Neill will land a three-year, $48.7 million deal this offseason, which would put his AAV at $16.2 million.