Polarizing Ex-Yankees Veteran Projected For One-Year, $6 Million Deal With Royals

Will the Royals add this bounceback candidate?

Mar 9, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; A detail view of New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson (28) helmet on base against the Boston Red Sox at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Royals have an obvious need in their outfield, and they've yet to do much to address it.

Sure, there's a chance one of the team's primary second basemen, Jonathan India or Michael Massey, will adapt to left field duties at some point. But otherwise, they're looking at the same primary options (MJ Melendez and Hunter Renfroe) that let them down all season.

The free-agent pool is fairly tapped out at this point of the offseason, but there could still be one lingering option that makes sense for Kansas City at a reasonable price.

On Tuesday, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer played "matchmaker" with remaining free agents and projected that former New York Yankees starting left fielder Alex Verdugo would join the Royals on a one-year, $6 million contract.

"It is possible that newcomer Jonathan India will be a solution in left field," Rymer wrote. "But rather than put all their chips on that number, the Royals have nothing to lose by reaching out to Alex Verdugo."

"He had a rough offensive year in his own right in 2024, but he at least landed in the 88th percentile for strikeout rate. He traditionally has a line-drive stroke that would play well vis-à-vis Kauffman Stadium's big outfield."

Verdugo, 28, had an ugly 2024 season on the whole, yet still outstripped both Melendez and Renfroe with 0.8 rWAR. His .654 OPS and 83 OPS+ were awful, but his career averages of .742 and 101 would be assets to Kansas City at this point.

Getting out of the pressure-packed environment of New York could be just the thing to rejuvenate Verdugo's once-promising career. The question is whether the Royals are willing to gamble any additional payroll to find out.

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