KC Royals: Would Cristian Pache fit in Kansas City?

What team has a track record of "fixing" prospects' hitting issues, could use a defensive-first outfielder, and is not competing in 2023? If you said the Kansas City Royals, you are a winner!

If the KC Royals prioritized outfield defense with the Bradley signing, Pache can deliver similar results with a long-term future in Kansas City.

The 2023 Royals are building toward 2024 and beyond. While that is unfortunate for the win column and will raise complaints among fans, there is individual players' more important progression. Besides wanting to see more from Bobby Witt Jr., MJ Melendez, and Vinnie Pasquantino, the Royals will likely look for more young players to build around. Is Michael Massey a viable long-term option at second? Will Nate Eaton succeed in his utility role? What about the starting rotation under new coaching? There are so many questions surrounding these Royals that it is not fair to expect a winning effort from them in 2023.

Waters is one player the team will want more progression from after a strong end to 2022. But he is on the shelf right now with an oblique strain. While Melendez, Kyle Isbel, Eaton, and Edward Olivares all factor into the outfield depth chart, the Royals still signed veteran Jackie Bradley Jr. to a minor-league deal. Despite his laughable struggles at the plate the past few seasons, Bradley remains an elite defender in center field. His outs above average (OAA), outfielder jump, and arm strength all ranked above the 90th percentile in 2022, according to Baseball Savant.

Guess who has similar or better numbers in 2022? The one and only Cristian Pache. His OAA ranked in the 94th percentile, while his arm strength matched Bradley's in the 92nd percentile. Pache is an elite defender in his own right and is eight years younger than Bradley.

The Royals signed Bradley to be outfield depth while Waters was gone. To be fair, Bradley has continued his strong defense and looked good at the plate this spring. His .966 OPS surprised many but is easily dismissed by spring training stats cynics. If his performance carries over past Opening Day, Bradley may be more prominent in Kansas City than fans originally anticipated. He could end up as a cheap trade asset for a contender, or the Royals could ride Bradley for the entire season.

But remember, the 2023 Royals are probably not going very far. Their final AL Central standing will be closer to the bottom than the top. They want to change that in 2024, though. Who would have a better chance to play for the 2024 Royals: Pache or Bradley?

This is about the future. Pache's age and progression would fit the Royals' competitive timeline better than Bradley's would, easily. Oakland does not sound happy to possibly lose Pache but realizes that is the most likely outcome if they designate him for assignment.

It was really hard to run out of time with a player that you feel is young and still has a huge future in this game. Unfortunately, for us and the roster, we’ve kind of run out of time with the options that Pache is out of and we’re going to have to make a move.

Cristian Pache is still a young player oozing with potential. KC Royals should consider acquiring him, for 2023 and beyond.

The Royals hitting development staff has turned around several prospects' batting outlooks in recent years, including Melendez and Waters. Pache's anemic batting in 2022 is his biggest drawback. If the Royals have the history and Pache has the problem, then Kansas City should take a chance on him. Besides, Pache did show significant improvement in the second half of 2022. His OPS rose nearly 200 points, and an 8.6 BB% is progress.

Pache is heading in the right direction at least, or he was to close out the 2022 season. His .780 OPS this spring is not awful, and his four walks to eight strikeouts show some improvement at the plate. He is not going to be a superstar on Opening Day this year, but that is not what the Royals need. They would want Pache to be a starter on the next Opening Day and beyond.

If Pache goes to another team and succeeds, the story writes itself. People will say Oakland put too much pressure on him and they needed to have more patience. His next team was so smart for honing Pache's skills in the field and fixing his batting problems, and Pache is so lucky to finally find a home with a team that believes in him. That will be the story if he succeeds. If Pache doesn't, then his next team at least gave a former top prospect a shot, and they likely lost a prospect who never saw major-league action. The Los Angeles Dodgers did something similar for Danny Duffy. Even though Duffy never pitched for the Dodgers, you don't see fans decrying their front office.

If Pache does hit the waiver wire, the Royals' path to acquiring him seems easy. Bradley out, Pache in. But that is only if the coaches feel Pache has the tools and foundation they can work with in the meantime. It is a gamble, but the possible rewards for developing Pache extend beyond 2023. In a seemingly lost year, Kansas City should take a chance on the outfielder and see what happens.