Royals 24-HR Slugger Predicted To Cut Ties With KC In Favor Of Brewers
The Kansas City Royals can hardly stand to lose any power hitters, but it seems likely that at least one is on his way out the door.
Following an impressive 30-win improvement in 2024, the Royals are hoping to carry their momentum into next season. They will have some tough roster choices to make, and one of them centers around what to do at third base.
The Royals tried several third-base solutions this year, and none really panned out. After Maikel Garcia proved not to have the on-base skills required to lock down the job, Kansas City traded for Paul DeJong from the Chicago White Sox, whose results were a mixed bag.
DeJong had shown an unexpected power stroke in Chicago, and finished the season with 24 total home runs. Six of those came in his 37 regular season games in Kansas City, but he was in such a bad slump when the playoffs began that he never appeared in a postseason game.
Now, DeJong is just looking to extend his career for another year. Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently predicted that the eight-year veteran would sign with the Milwaukee Brewers in free agency this winter.
"With Rhys Hoskins exercising his player option and Joey Ortiz expected to slide over to shortstop to replace the departing Willy Adames, the only obvious hole on the Brewers roster is at third base," Reuter said.
"Paul DeJong spent most of his time at the hot corner after he was traded to the Royals at the deadline, and he quietly hit 24 home runs in 139 games in 2024."
DeJong, 31, slashed .227/.276/.427 on the season, adding 56 RBI. The Brewers are known for getting the most out of their free-agent acquisitions, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see DeJong take a step forward if he signed in Milwaukee.
Will Kansas City put up any resistance to DeJong walking away in free agency? So far, there's been no meaningful sign that they're interested in a reunion.
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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