Padres Fan-Favorite Predicted To Cut Ties With San Diego For $45M Royals Contract
The Kansas City Royals might be good now, but they still need to get much better this winter.
In October, Kansas City learned that they still have a long way to go if they want to win a World Series anytime soon. Their lineup couldn't produce anything when Bobby Witt Jr. went into a playoff slump, and it's never a good idea to rely too heavily on one superstar during the playoffs.
The Royals' outfield was their biggest lineup weakness this season, both in terms of power and contact. It almost doesn't matter what profile of hitter the Royals pursue, but they need to land at least one outfielder who can bat in the top half of their order and increase run production.
Jurickson Profar of the San Diego Padres could be the ideal fit for this Kansas City team. Steve Adams, Anthony Franco, Darragh McDonald, and Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors projected a three-year, $45 million contract for Profar, with Franco predicting the All-Star outfielder would sign with the Royals.
"Profar returns to free agency in line for a much more lucrative deal than he got last winter... His camp could look for four years, but that essentially hasn’t been attainable for non-star hitters at that age. Mitch Haniger landed three years and $43.5MM as a corner bat at the same age. Profar’s camp will aim higher than that."
"The Padres would certainly love to have him back, but it remains to be seen if they’ll be able to make that work with other needs at shortstop and in the rotation. The Royals, Reds, Blue Jays, Angels, Pirates, Phillies and Braves could also have interest."
The other three authors all predicted Profar would return to the Padres, which would make sense if only because the journeyman has only ever had sustained success in a San Diego uniform in the past.
While Profar might be a risky signing for the Royals, he's also one with high upside. He'll be 32 next season, so a three-year deal shouldn't take him too far out of his prime. And $45 million would be a steal if he can put up anything close to the .837 OPS and 3.7 WAR he had last season.
If the Royals are serious about World Series contention, they need to take some swings in free agency. Profar would represent one of those swings, with the potential to catapult the K.C. lineup to the next level.
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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