Royals Predicted To Acquire Mets' Former Top 100 Prospect In Surprise Blockbuster
Offense isn't a want for the Kansas City Royals these days--it's a need.
Having Bobby Witt Jr. is the best thing that could have happened to the Royals in the long haul, but they haven't done a good job of surrounding him with other talented hitters to this point. The middle of the order is merely adequate, and the bottom half of the order borders on dismal.
Because the Royals are the Royals, though, it's not likely that they'll pony up any significant money to land Teoscar Hernández or Anthony Santander in free agency. If they want to find a new big bat, they'll have to get creative.
Creativity, in this case, could mean taking a shot on a former top prospect.
On Friday, Max Rieper of Royals Review predicted that Kansas City would acquire New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty as a low-cost option in a trade this winter, adding the former Mets number-one prospect to their lineup.
"My guess is the Royals end up acquiring Brett Baty from the Mets - he’s a former top 100 prospect who hasn't performed at the big league level in a limited audition," Rieper said.
"The Royals believe in their hitting development staff - for better or for worse - and I think they’d rather gamble on a young player with upside than on a veteran who is on the way down."
Baty, 25, has had a rough go in three brief seasons with the major-league team, .215/.282/.325 in 169 games. He's been prolific in the minors, though, posting an .889 OPS and 64 career home runs.
The Royals wouldn't have to give up much to acquire Baty at this point, one would think, since Mark Vientos appears to be a very good option for the Mets at third base moving forward. There's even talk of New York signing Alex Bregman, the two-time All-Star third baseman, and moving Vientos to first.
The real question, of course, is whether Baty would pan out in Kansas City. And that comes down to the player himself, and how well he takes to the Royals' coaching instructions.
More MLB: Ex-Red Sox, Dodgers 4-Time All-Star Mentioned With Royals As Surprise Free-Agent Fit
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