Why the KC Royals shouldn't pursue Whit Merrifield

Even after going a disquieting 12-15 in June, the KC Royals still can't be considered dead in the waters of the American League playoff race. Their quest to prove as much continued Friday night at Fenway Park, where they beat Boston 6-1 to close within a single percentage point of the Red Sox in the chase for the AL's final Wild Card spot.

But the Royals are living on the edge, keeping their dreams of October baseball alive despite weak-hitting outfielders and a worrisome bullpen. They'll need to improve both to guarantee their final regular season game against the Braves in Atlanta isn't the last baseball they'll play before spring camp opens in February.

General manager J.J. Picollo, an experienced baseball man but a novice when it comes to engineering a playoff run on his own, has acknowledged as much more than once as his club navigates its first span of true relevancy in years. And he's expressed interest in acquiring someone who can move between the outfield and infield; he already has that in more than one Royal, but apparently wants more.

Now, there's an immediately available and established major leaguer on the market who fits that bill, one who knows his way around the field ... and just happens to be a former Royal star.

Whit Merrifield. The former Kansas City fan favorite became a free agent Friday when the Phillies released him.

But should Picollo look him up?

The KC Royals need to pass on Whit Merrifield

Pursuing Merrifield makes sense, if at all, only because he's so defensively versatile. The nine-season big league veteran has done about everything since breaking in with the Royals in 2016 — the only two places he hasn't taken his glove are behind the plate and to shortstop. And he's played in the corner spots, the objects of most concern in the outfield (especially considering Kyle Isbel is in center to stay), 325 times. He'd be defensively reliable wherever manager Matt Quatraro chose to deploy him, which takes care of one of the two big boxes Picollo wants to check.

So, the glovework is fine. It's Merrifield's bat that should keep the Royals looking elsewhere for help.

That may seem strange to say; after all, Merrifield's led the majors in hits twice and eclipsed the .300 mark the same number of times. But both those things happened a long time ago, 2018 and 2019 to be precise, and he hasn't approached .300 since. He hit .280 for Toronto in 2022, but combined with the .240 he hit for the Royals that same season, he finished at .250. Merrifield reached .272 with the Jays last year, but slumped badly late in the season and was hitting .199 when Philadelphia let him go Friday.

He hasn't reached the 100 OPS+ mark for a full season since 2020. That was also the last time he had a wRC+ better than 93; this season, it's 63.

No, Merrifield doesn't swing the kind of bat he used to, and therein is where the problem should lie for Picollo. Nothing strongly suggests he'll improve at the plate this season — he hasn't been above the Mendoza Line for two months and slashed a miserable .212/.250/.288 over the final two months of last season.

Simply put, Merrifield wouldn't be an offensive upgrade for Kansas City, especially in the outfield. Left fielder MJ Melendez's .196 average is three points lower than Merrifield's .199, but Melendez's 11 homers are eight more than Merrifield's three, and his 28 runs driven in exceed Merrifield's 11.

And what about right field? Hunter Renfroe's average is only .220, and his eight homers have him on pace to miss 20 for only the second time in his career, but he raised his average 34 points in June and is batting .319 over his last 14 games. His line and production are all better than Merrifield's.

Yes, Melendez and Renfroe have played more this season than Merrifield, which contributes to their generally better numbers, but Merrifield's continuing troubles at the plate are too great for the Royals to ignore when they're seeking — and needing — help at the plate.

At the end of the day, Picollo shouldn't think long about Merrifield. He won't add enough value to a club that requires more. If Picollo is casting an eye toward Merrifield, he needs to look elsewhere.

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