Pair of versatile Royals castoffs land new chances with Astros, Rangers

The Kansas City Royals love versatility. They covet players, especially veterans, who they can move around the field almost at will. Players, in other words, who can fill in at almost any position. That the club finds such players so valuable was clear last winter when general manager J.J. Picollo acquired utility men Cavan Biggio and Mark Canha.

Both veterans provided manager Matt Quatraro with the defensive flexibility general manager J.J. Picollo so clearly sought when he picked them up — free agent signee Biggio ended up playing five defensive positions for the Royals, and Canha, picked up in a late spring training trade with Milwaukee, appeared at four.

But even utility men need to hit occasionally, and in that respect both KC newcomers fell short. Biggio struggled with a 37-game .174/.296/.246 line, and despite an impressive, albeit small sample size post-trade Cactus League effort, Canha slashed .212/.272/.265 in 46 games.

Neither lasted the season. The Royals demoted Biggio to Triple-A Omaha in late May, then let him go July 30, and nearly three weeks later designated Canha for assignment before releasing him. Biggio found work with the Angels' organization but didn't make it back to the majors, while Canha's season was over.

Now, their hopes of playing major league ball in 2026 hinge on how they fare with new franchises.

Former Royals Cavan Biggio and Mark Canha have new baseball homes

Biggio, the son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, and Canha both found new organizations over the weekend. Biggio signed a minor league deal with the Astros, Canha did the same with the Rangers, and both unsurprisingly received invitations to their new clubs' big league spring training camps.

Biggio will enter Houston's Grapefruit League schedule with at least some chance to make the team's Opening Day roster. The Astros don't currently have any starting spots for which he'd be ideal, but his versatility (he's appeared at seven positions during parts of seven major league seasons), and his ability to get on base his career .339 OBP reflects, suggests a bench role with Houston isn't out of the question.

Canha, who KC fans can see plenty of this spring because the Rangers share their Surprise, Arizona, spring headquarters with the Royals, also has little chance to win an everyday job with his new team. But his opportunity with the Rangers may be better than Biggio's with the Astros — over 11 big league campaigns, he's also played seven defensive positions, but he's displayed more power than Biggio and his career .248/.346/.409 line is better than Biggio's .223/.339/.373 mark.

It appears Canha will join once-promising former Kansas City first baseman-outfielder Nick Pratto with the Rangers. Texas has reportedly signed Pratto to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Will Biggio and Canha find more success with their new clubs than they did with the Royals? Time will tell, but watching them try could be interesting.