Veteran third baseman is the wrong answer for the KC Royals

In the aftermath of Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia's recent elbow surgery, news that he should be ready for spring training was indeed welcome. Still, another concern about Garcia — his disconcerting lack of production at a position demanding much more than he's providing — remains, and prospects for finding a better hot corner bat aren't the best.

Internally, and unless they consider gambling on Nick Loftin at third, the Royals don't have a big league-ready replacement for Garcia. Externally, Houston free agent Alex Bregman is likely beyond Kansas City's financial reach, as is Nolan Arenado. Gio Urshela isn't a probable KC target, and most of the rest of the third base market consists of players who spend time at the position only as a part of their utility roles.

What, though, about a veteran third sacker who's shopping himself this winter? Could Yoán Moncada, so familiar to Kansas City fans from his eight seasons with the Chicago White Sox, fill the Royals' needs should they choose to explore alternatives to Garcia?

No.

The KC Royals should not pursue Yoán Moncada

That Royals general manager J.J. Picollo ought to be thinking about third base is a given. Although he hit leadoff much of this season, Garcia's disappointing 157-game .231/.281/.332 line isn't the stuff of stardom, or predictive of a long and illustrious career as a big league third baseman. The same goes for his 7 home runs and 58 RBI. Taken together, those numbers suggest Garcia may never repeat the .272 average he posted across 34 fewer games in 2023, his first lengthy stint in the majors.

Don't be surprised, then, if Picollo quietly shops Garcia during and after the Winter Meetings, or looks on the free agent and trade markets for a third baseman with a better bat. Such quests will inevitably lead him across Moncada's path, but it's one he shouldn't take.

Yes, Moncada, now 29 and a veteran of parts of nine seasons in The Show, has more power potential than Garcia. Excluding 2018, when he broke in with the Boston Red Sox, and 2024, when injuries limited him to just 12 games with the White Sox, Moncada has failed to hit at least 11 homers only twice, and both times played barely 50 games. He homered a career-high 25 times in 2019, hit 17 the year before, and clubbed 14 in 2021, 12 in 2022, and 11 in 2023.

Still, Moncada's speed will never measure up to Garcia's — Garcia stole 37 bases in 2024 and 23 in 2023, while Moncada boasts only 32 over his entire career.

But while Moncada might be an upgrade at the plate, but certainly not on the base paths, other concerns should push Picollo away from any thought of replacing Garcia with him, or even signing him for a bench role. First and foremost is Moncada's ongoing battle with the Injured List, where he's spent significant portions of the last three seasons recovering from an oblique strain, left and right hamstring issues, back soreness, back inflammation, and an adductor strain. He's averaged less than 70 games per campaign during that stretch.

That history alone makes him too much of a gamble and undoubtedly had much to do with Chicago's decision to decline their 2025 option for him. The move cost the White Sox a $5 million buyout, but enabled them to escape the $25 million salary they would have owed him for next season had they picked up his option.

Then there's his glove, a potential (although not overwhelming) liability the Royals shouldn't assume. Moncada's career -10 Outs Above Average (OAA) isn't good, but is mitigated to some extent by the -21 he accumulated during ill-fated attempts to play second base in 2017 and 2018. Still, his -5 DRS and .935 fielding percentage at third leave something to be desired.

Garcia, on the other hand, proved his excellent defensive abilities in 2023 when he led regular AL third basemen in Runs Prevented and OAA. This season, his 4 OAA ranked fourth and his 5 RP fifth.

So, what should Picollo do when it comes to Moncada? Nothing. He and the Royals will be better served giving Garcia another shot at third base.