Padres $48 Million All-Star Could Be Royals' Next Leadoff Hitter, Per Insider
Who will come to bat first when the Kansas City Royals try to kickstart their offense each night in 2025?
It's a question that rarely had an exciting answer in 2024, and that may be the biggest issue plaguing the Royals as a group right now. All-world shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. bats second for Kansas City, but his talents can only go so far if there's never anyone on base in front of him.
The Royals tried to fill the leadoff role with a mixture of youth and experience, testing out names like Maikel Garcia, Adam Frazier, and Tommy Pham. To get where they want to be next season, they need a leadoff hitter who is both in his prime and ready to get on base by any means necessary.
One player who broke out in his 11th big-league season could wind up the perfect fit for these Royals. Anne Rogers of MLB.com recently named outfielder Jurickson Profar of the San Diego Padres as a realistic option to take over the leadoff role in Kansas City next season.
"Coming off a career year at 31 years old, Profar will be looking for a multiyear deal this offseason," Rogers said.
"He walked at a 11.4% clip for the Padres last year along with a 0.75 walk-to-strikeout ratio, tied for seventh-best in baseball. He slashed .280/.380/.459 with a career-high 24 home runs and a 139 wRC+. The Royals could easily find playing time for the switch-hitter in the corner outfield."
Profar, 31, made his first All-Star team out of nowhere in 2024, coming off a 2023 season spent mostly on the Colorado Rockies where he was one of the worst hitters in Major League Baseball. He was a spark plug for the Padres, and frankly, their most consistent player this year from start to finish.
Tim Britton of The Athletic recently projected a three-year, $48 million contract for Profar, which is a big investment for any team to make in a player who's really only had success in one uniform. The Royals are not that team for Profar, so it's an even bigger risk to project his success to K.C.
Nevertheless, Profar at his best fits everything the Royals need at the moment, including a veteran presence on a team hoping to establish itself as a playoff team every season. It's worth kicking the tires to find out just how expensive signing Profar would be.
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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