Royals Surprisingly Included Among Projected 'Best Bets' For $69 Million All-Star
Is there any chance that the Kansas City Royals will still pursue a big-name free agent this winter?
The Royals are known to be shopping for a big bat in the middle of their order, but most expect them to do so via trade, rather than in free agency. The front office said after the season that they expect a "similar" payroll to the $117 million figure from 2024, leaving little wiggle room in the budget.
There was a confounding report from the New York Post's Jon Heyman earlier this offseason that the Royals looked into the possibility fo signing Juan Soto, the 26-year-old mega-star who just signed with the New York Mets for a record-setting $765 million deal.
How serious the Royals were about pursuing Soto is highly questionable, but perhaps they're more willing to spend big (for the right player) than most are thinking. If that's the case, there could be an outside chance that they land one of the other All-Stars on the free-agent market.
On Tuesday, ESPN's David Schoenfield named the Royals among the "best bets" to land All-Star outfielder Anthony Santander, though he ultimately predicted that Santander would sign with the Philadelphia Phillies.
"Royals corner outfielders... ranked 28th in the majors in OPS, and they seem willing to extend their budget a little bit (hey, they even kicked the tires on Soto)," Schoenfield said.
Santander, 30, would fit in seamlessly with the Royals' projected batting order. He's a switch-hitter who clubbed 44 home runs in 2024, and could bat either third or fourth behind superstar Bobby Witt Jr.
The issue, of course, is the contract. Schoenfield projected a three-year, $69 million deal for the slugger, which would extend the Royals into the $135-140 million range for their projected payroll. That's above and beyond what most fans would expect, though it's still less than the team's payroll in the wake of their 2015 World Series title.
The bottom line is this: if the Royals are willing to go all-in, there's every reason to believe Santander could be a fit. Whether ownership is ready to push their chips to the center could determine a lot about how the next half-decade plays out.
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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