Should the KC Royals consider budget-friendly Mets outfielder?

The offseason got off to a relatively slow this year, but the Kansas City Royals have made more moves than most other MLB teams. Between re-signing veteran Michael Wacha to a three-year, $51 million contract and trading starter Brady Singer to the Cincinnati Reds for second baseman Jonathan India and outfielder Joey Wiemer, the Royals have been busy.

Still, the team is in dire need of offensive support in the outfield before the 2025 season, and on November 27, Sports Illustrated's Jackson Roberts suggested a new potential target in free agency — Harrison Bader.

"While offense is the most pressing need in the outfield, there's always room for a veteran who's proven he can play lockdown defense as well," Roberts wrote. "Harrison Bader of the New York Mets is an intriguing free-agent prospect for the Royals, because he shouldn't cost much."

As Roberts mentioned, one big upside of Bader is that he's likely to be significantly more budget-friendly to acquire than most other free agent outfielders. Sportrac projects he will land a one-year, $7.1 million deal out of free agency this winter, and Fox43's Cale Ahearn and Jacob Hitz place his value slightly higher at a one-year, $8 million contract.

Still, is Bader really a fit for the Royals' outfield, or would he just be more of the same?

Should the KC Royals consider signing Harrison Bader?

There's no question that Bader is fierce on defense. The 30-year-old won a Gold Glove Award in 2021 for his work, and this season, his Fielding Run Value (FRV) of 10 and 10 Outs Above Average (OAA) ranked him in the 92nd and 95th percentile of all qualified fielders, respectively.

But while strong defense is obviously always a need, the main issue in Kansas City's outfield is the lack of offensive production. The team utilized five players in the outfield this year — MJ Melendez, Kyle Isbel, Hunter Renfroe, Tommy Pham, and Garrett Hampson — and at the plate, not one of them even managed an OPS over .700.

At Kansas City's end-of-season press conference, Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said that "the offense from the outfield positions has to get better."

“Generally speaking, when you’re looking at left field, right field, that’s where you’re thinking about power guys," Picollo told reporters. "And we know this ballpark doesn’t lend itself to homers, but it does lend itself to slug. So we’ve got to be more productive there.”

So in the interest of adding offensive power, is Bader any better than what the Royals already have?

In 402 at-bats in 2024, Bader slashed .236/.284/.373 with 12 home runs, a career-best 51 RBI, and 17 stolen bases. His low on-base percentage — including a walk rate in the bottom 8% of MLB, according to Baseball Savant — is a concern, and his .657 OPS only puts him alongside the Royals' disappointing outfield squad under .700.

While Bader's an elite defender and will almost certainly come cheaper than other free agent outfielders on the market, he wouldn't be much of an offensive upgrade, which is the main reason the Royals are looking to add. Kansas City's outfield could obviously also use the strong defense that Bader could provide, but without a stronger bat, the Royals would be better spending their money elsewhere this winter.