MLB insider shoots down KC Royals pursuing high-end free agent bat

While the Kansas City Royals aren't quite on the Los Angeles Angels' level of busy this offseason, they've still done a solid job at going out and addressing roster needs in smart, cost-effective ways.

The Royals have already gone out and re-signed Michael Wacha, while also managing to swing a trade for Jonathan India that sent Brady Singer to the Cincinnati Reds. It's nice to see the club upgrading their team while most others are sitting around waiting for the Juan Soto sweepstakes to iron themselves out.

Even with India on board as the Royals' new leadoff hitter, it feels like there's room for one more bat around the team's 2025 infield.

Mikael Garcia, Bobby Witt Jr., Michael Massey/Jonathan India, and Vinnie Pasquantino are all penciled in to starting roles right at this moment, but Massey may be best used as a utilityman and both India and Pasquantino could get playing time at DH. Not to mention both of the latter two come with a ton of injury concerns.

This is all to say that a pursuit of free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman makes a good deal of sense for a Royals team that's suddenly right in the middle of their latest contention window. According to The Athletic's Jim Bowden, that may not be in the cards — but it should be.

MLB insider shoots down Royals' pursuit of Alex Bregman

There's no doubt that Bregman would be a significant upgrade to this Royals club, but Bowden points out that Kansas City is not "in" on him. He goes on to say that he believes the acquisition of India crossed off two needs at once: another infielder and a leadoff hitter.

Bregman, 30, has two World Series rings and a pair of All-Star Game selections under his belt in what's quietly been a solid MLB career. He's got a second-place finish in MVP voting as well as a Gold Glove Award to his name, as well. All told, he's got 191 home runs and a .272 average through 1,111 career games. His 132 OPS+ suggests he's been 32 percent above league-average at the plate, which becomes all the more impressive when you take into consideration that he's been around for nine years already.

Bregman has already expressed willingness to play a different position if his new team needs him to, which could make him more attractive to the Royals. Garcia is fast on his feet and a slick fielder, but India has historically been viewed as an incompetent defender. This seems to suggest that Bregman could shift over to second base in the event that the Royals landed him.

There's certainly a fit for Bregman on the Royals, but he would tie up the vast majority of the organization's payroll. There's an argument to be made that the risk is worth it in the name of chasing a championship, but Bowden's report means they're going to be content with what they've got.

This could end up being a mistake come the 2025 regular season.