Ex-Diamondbacks $2 Million Slugger May Be Most Realistic Royals Outfield Option
The question for the Kansas City Royals this winter isn't who the ideal middle-of-the-order bat would be, but rather, which one they can afford.
The Royals desperately need more offense, especially from their outfield, and they need some lineup protection for Bobby Witt Jr. But as a small-market team that has pushed their payroll upward in the past couple of years, they may only have a few million dollars to find that offense.
Many have speculated that the trade market could be the most efficient way for the Royals to find a slugger, as they already landed Jonathan India from the Cincinnati Reds to be their new leadoff hitter. But they dealt their only expendable big-league asset in Brady Singer to get India, and their farm system is quite weak at the moment.
Accordingly, the Royals may have to hit the free-agent bargain bin to find the bat they need. And there is one intriguing fit out there that should fit within Kansas City's price range: ex-Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder/designated hitter Randal Grichuk.
Casual baseball fans who didn't tune into many Diamondbacks games may not be aware of just how good Grichuk was in 2024. In 106 games, the 33-year-old slashed .291/.348/.528, good for a 140 OPS+. He had 57 appearances in the outfield, 41 at designated hitter, and 39 as a pinch-hitter.
Now, in fairness, Arizona was using Grichuk in a specifically-tailored role that didn't put him in as many tough spots as the Royals would ask him to do. He took 184 of his 279 plate appearances against lefties, but he still managed an .801 OPS against righties when given the opportunity.
Though he won't cost the $2 million that Arizona was able to nab him for last winter, Grichuk should still be affordable for the Royals, more so than the Anthony Santanders and even Jurickson Profars of the world. If everything goes right, he could be nearly as good as those two 2024 All-Stars.
Are the Royals willing to give Grichuk a shot at full-time playing time? Or perhaps pay him more than he made last year to continue his platoon duties? It's certainly within the realm of possibility.
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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