Royals should really consider taking a gamble on recent Pirates outfield outcast

The Kansas City Royals have had an offseason where they've clearly improved, but not to the extent that many might have anticipated they would've.

Now, the opportunity to make a big free agent splash is gone and the odds of acquiring that splash via trade looks unlikely at this stage. However, just because game-changing moves might not be available, it doesn't mean that Royals can't still improve between the margins.

And after the Pittsburgh Pirates designated once-promising outfielder Jack Suwinski for assignment earlier this week, perhaps the Royals can make one of those marginal moves to further improve their outfield depth.

Jack Suwinski might not be a terrible outfield depth add for the Royals

Now, on the surface, a player coming of a season where he appeared in just 59 games and slashed just .147/.281/.253 with a 55 wRC+ and -0.5 fWAR doesn't seem appealing.

And from the perspective of searching for definitive big leaguer, that take is entirely valid. Suwinski is far from the 2.7 fWAR and 112 wRC+ form he displayed in the 2023 season.

However, with the additions of Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas this winter, paired with the existing names of Jac Caglianone and Kyle Isbel, along with outfield-capable utility options like Michael Massey, Nick Loftin and Tyler Tolbert, the Royals don't necessarily have to add another surefire MLB talent.

With this in mind, if we're just talking depth, a name like Suwinski demonstrated enough promising underlying metrics to still be an intriguing taxi option at least, but perhaps a strong candidate to be a change of scenery beneficiary.

Suwinski at the very least is hitter that's capable of drawing his walks, even if he strikes out his fair share. He's posted a walk rate no lower than 9.7% in any of his four big league seasons. Last season in particular, he held an excellent 13.5% walk rate and paired that with an extremely impressive 16.8% chase rate.

On top of that, while the hard-hit rate may not be where it was when he was a 26 home run hitter back in 2023, there's reason to believe that power bat might still be in there. In 2025, Suwinski still sported an impressive 11.8% barrel rate and 73.9 mph bat speed.

When you pair this with getting out of PNC Park, which according to Statcast Park Factor has been the worst ballpark for homers, and substituting that for Kauffman Stadium, which should see an uptick in long balls after moving a majority of their outfield walls in this winter, perhaps there's even more reason to believe Suwinski's power could return.

Then, from a defensive standpoint, having an outfielder capable of playing all three outfield positions and posting positive OAA totals is versatility to get excited about.

On a one-year, $1.25 million contract, a waiver claim or a small-scale trade for Suwinski doesn't seem like a terrible gamble for the Royals considering the potential that still very well might be in there.