Could Royals Pursue $5 Million Ex-Silver Slugger To Bolster Offense For 2025?
The Kansas City Royals made some key moves in the month of November to boost their chances of returning to the postseason in 2025. They re-signed right-hander Michael Wacha to a three-year, $51 million contract and traded for Jonathan India and Joey Wiemer.
Since then, they have been quiet, and they still need a bat or two to bolster their lineup this offseason. Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report listed several potential buy-low free agents with high potential that teams could still take a chance on. Among them was switch-hitting first baseman Josh Bell, who split the 2024 season with the Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks.
"While slugger Pete Alonso has still not signed, the offseason first base market kicked into gear last week as Christian Walker, Paul Goldschmidt and Carlos Santana all signed new contracts and Josh Naylor and Nathaniel Lowe were traded," Reuter wrote.
"Don't be surprised if Josh Bell outperforms at least a few of those players at a significantly lower price point.
His numbers last season don't jump off the page, but he picked up the pace after he was traded from the Marlins to the Diamondbacks at the deadline, posting a 121 OPS+ with five doubles, five home runs and 22 RBI in 41 games."
Bell slashed .249/.319/.405 with 19 home runs, 71 RBI and 44 extra-base hits. His OPS was relaitvely low at .725, but he provides power from both sides of the plate.
What could complicate this is the fact that Vinnie Pasquantino is already playing first base for Kansas City, but Bell could be used as a designated hitter or potentially take reps in the outfield, where he has played in years past.
It will be interesting to see what the Royals decide to do.
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Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.