Former Yankees All-Star Could Be Perfect Fit For Royals This Winter
2024 has been an exciting season for the Kansas City Royals, but it could be only the prequel.
After a dismal 106-loss season a year ago, the Royals have surprised the collective baseball world. They are on the doorstep of the postseason, with a six-game cushion for a playoff spot and only three weeks still to play.
The Royals have one of the most talented starting rotations in Major League Baseball and a transcendent superstar at the top of their order. But there are other glaring holes in the lineup, and fixing those could go a long way toward making Kansas City a true World Series contender.
The infield is one questionable spot, as second base and third base both appear uncertain to varying degrees. Michael Massey has had good months offensively, Maikel Garcia is a good defender and free-agent-to-be Paul DeJong has been on fire since the trade deadline, but none are surefire stars.
Though the Royals haven't always been power players in free agency, they threw their weight around to revamp the pitching staff last season. This year, they could shift their focus to offense and target New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres.
In a recent projection of Opening Day lineups for 2025, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter predicted that Torres would not re-sign with the Yankees. Reuter had Torres heading to the San Francisco Giants, but the Royals could be a better home for the second baseman long-term.
While San Francisco is in a loaded division without a clear superstar, the Royals have a wide-open path to contend for AL Central titles and have perennial MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr. on their side. Torres could be Witt's double-play partner for the foreseeable future if he rebounds to his former All-Star form.
A few seasons ago, it might have sounded ludicrous to suggest that Torres would play anywhere but New York, and perhaps especially in Kansas City. But after his All-Star appearances in 2018 and 2019, Torres has slowly regressed, and 2024 has been his worst season yet.
With a .686 OPS/94 OPS+ and -5 outs above average at second base, Torres may not command a high-priced deal, or even a long-term one. But he's still only 27, and has five quality offensive seasons under his belt already at the big-league level.
The Royals are only a couple pieces away from building a powerhouse in future seasons. Perhaps Torres is one of those pieces.
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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