Brewers $18 Million Slugger's Hesitant Free Agency Answer Could Open Door For Royals
If there is one obvious need for the Kansas City Royals in 2025, it's power hitting.
The Royals have advanced to the American League Division Series to face the New York Yankees, which is already an incredible accomplishment based on preseason expectations. But regardless of how they fare in the postseason, Kansas City should be looking to take things to the next level.
Beyond Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez, no Royals role players reached the 20-homer mark in 2024. They had good contact numbers and hit well with runners in scoring position, but their projections could fall back to earth in 2025 without adding more home run threats.
One possible option for the Royals would be first baseman Rhys Hoskins of the Milwaukee Brewers, who could also serve as a designated hitter. Hoskins, who has a player option upcoming, spoke after the Brewers' elimination on Thursday night about his outlook for the 2025 season.
“It’s a good question. I don’t know,” Hoskins said, per Robert Murray of FanSided. “That’s a long way away.”
Hoskins, after returning from an ACL tear that cost him all of 2023, had the least productive season of his career with Milwaukee. He slashed .214/.303/.419 with 26 home runs, and was worth -0.2 wins above replacement.
Murray also said that most in baseball expect Hoskins to return to Milwaukee on his $18 million player option, given his struggles at the plate this year. That means if the Royals want Hoskins, they'd likely have to overpay for him based on this season's production, essentially counting on a bounceback.
Can Hoskins bounce back, though? It is a fairly obvious possibility. In the four previous full-length seasons before his injury, the righty clubbed between 27 and 34 home runs each year. And before his .722 OPS this season, his previous career-low was .794.
If word somehow gets to Hoskins that there might be more of a market for his services than anticipated, there's still a chance he opts out. And perhaps the Royals will become that market.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org