Royals' $13 Million Slugger Could Be Key To Offensive Improvement In 2025
The Kansas City Royals were active this past offseason, adding players such as Jonathan India and Carlos Estevez while also retaining pitchers Michael Lorenzen and Michael Wacha on team-friendly deals.
One question mark they're dealing with however is the offense. While adding India in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds certainly helps the offense, it didn't give them the big power threat that they desperately needed.
However, sometimes it just so happens that a team already has an internal option that can pick up the slack. Mike Gillespie of FanSided pointed out that the Royals may have this in outfielder Hunter Renfroe.
"Before the Kansas City Royals' March 16 Cactus League game against the Colorado Rockies was even two innings old, outfielder Hunter Renfroe had already batted twice, doubled twice, and driven in three runs," Gillespie wrote.
"Renfroe immediately yielded to pinch-runner Gavin Cross and finished 3-for-4 with five RBI. He's now slashing .348/.464/.739 at spring training, with four doubles, a triple, a homer, and nine RBI. Those nine RBI tie him with Garcia for the club lead."
Renfroe struggled in 2024 with the Royals, slashing just .229/.297/.392 with 15 home runs, 52 RBI and a .689 OPS. However, he isn't far removed from a very strong 2023 season with the Los Angeles Angels and Cincinnati Reds.
That year, he hit 20 home runs. He also had a 29-homer season in 2022 with the Milwaukee Brewers and hit 31 bombs for the Boston Red Sox in 2021. If he can get back to that, perhaps he is the bat the Royals have been searching for all this time.
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Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.