Should the KC Royals pursue this suddenly available former Yankees All-Star?

At 47-50 and 12 games behind first-place Detroit after beating the Mets Sunday afternoon, the frustratingly inconsistent Kansas City Royals almost certainly won't win the American League Central Division championship this season. Their pitching is good, but their offense is simply too weak to fire the Royals to the kind of sizzling second-half required to catch and overtake the Tigers.

Fortunately, though, Kansas City remains within striking distance of an AL Wild Card — entering this week's All-Star Break, the traditional but not mathematically precise season midpoint, the club is only 4.5 games behind Seattle for the third AL berth. But it will take a big boost to the offense to grab it.

Could that boost be a versatile three-time All-Star who counts two big league batting championships, four Gold Gloves, and a pair of Silver Sluggers among the honors he's collected over a commendable 15-year major league career?

One would think so. But whether new free agent DJ LeMahieu really fits the bill for the Royals is a big question.

DJ LeMahieu might be able to help the KC Royals down the stretch

A week ago, the possibility of the Royals pursuing, or even thinking about pursuing, LaMahieu would have appeared slim, especially because no one seemed to be considering such a thing. LeMahieu has been a key member of the Yankees since 2019, when he joined them as a free agent and proceeded to slash .327/.375/.518, club a career high 26 homers, drive in a personal best 102 runs, make the All-Star team, and win a Silver Slugger.

The next year, he led the majors in batting (.364) for the second time — he won his first title in 2016 with a .348 average for Colorado — led the AL in OBP (.421) and OPS (1.011), and won another Silver Slugger. And for his career, which started in 2011 with the Cubs before his stops with the Rockies and Yankees, LeMahieu is hitting .289 with 126 home runs and 663 RBI.

Now, though, and despite his outstanding career, LeMahieu finds himself on the open market, a free agent because New York suddenly let him go last week. The move was a bit of a surprise, but not a shock — LeMahieu started the season on the injured list, didn't play until mid-May, and has apparently been replaced at second base by Jazz Chisholm Jr. And at 37, much more of his career is behind, rather than ahead, of him.

There are signs, though, that LeMahieu can help another club. That he hit .278 with a .342 OBP in June, and was 7-for-15 with a .529 OBP in July before the Yanks cut him, suggests his bat still has life. And his 45-game .268 average and .338 OBP are better than most Royals this year.

So, is LeMahieu worth taking a chance on? Maybe. He's an infielder, but the infield isn't where the Royals need much help. Although he can, and has, played every infield position as a major leaguer, which means he could help spell Vinnie Pasquantino, Jonathan India, Bobby Witt Jr., and Maikel Garcia when they need rest down the stretch, he hasn't played a single big league inning in the outfield, where KC has its biggest issues.

That situation doesn't give manager Matt Quatraro many options. Yes, LeMahieu sizes up as a good utility infielder and could take an occasional turn at DH. But those opportunities may not be enough to keep him in the lineup often enough to make a real difference.

On the other hand, he'd come cheap — because they released him, the Yankees are on the hook for most of the balance of the roughly $22 million remaining on his six-season, $90 million deal that expires at the end of the 2026 campaign. And the Royals, who'd owe him only a prorated portion of the $760,000 major league minimum salary, wouldn't have to trade anyone to get him, an important factor as the July 31 major league deal deadline approaches.

LeMahieu, then, gives general manager J.J. Picollo something to think about as he mulls whether to buy or sell this month. But at the end of the day, the Royals will be better off landing the big outfield bat they've been seeking for a long time.