Yankees $38M Homegrown All-Star Predicted To Cut Ties With N.Y. In Favor Of Royals
The Kansas City Royals appear to have a decent idea of what their pitching staff will look like next season, but the lineup is another story.
Okay, shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. will likely bat second again, and he'll be surrounded in some capacity by Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez. But there's not a whole lot of offensive talent elsewhere on the roster, which made the bottom half of Kansas City's order a black hole at times this year.
There's no shortage of openings in the Royals' lineup. Third base, second base, and all three outfield spots could potentially be up for grabs if the right player comes along. What's really important is adding a bat with some serious thump.
The best possible fit for the second-base job may well be Gleyber Torres of the New York Yankees. Steve Adams, Anthony Franco, Darragh McDonald, and Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors projected a two-year, $36 million contract for Torres, with Adams and Dierkes predicting the slugger would sign with the Royals.
"Torres (is) the best pure second baseman available, and he doesn’t come with a qualifying offer attached. A three-year contract isn’t unreasonable, and there’s an outside chance he could still nab a four-year deal. At the same time, he’s hitting the market coming off a platform year that wasn’t especially impressive in aggregate," the authors said.
"Torres could look for one year or a two-year contract that allows him to opt out and try again at age 29. We’re predicting he’ll sacrifice a bit on the overall guarantee to secure that market flexibility. The Mariners, Pirates, Red Sox, Giants, Rockies, Royals, Angels and Blue Jays could look for second base help."
Franco and McDonald, the other two authors, both predicted that Torres would sign with the Seattle Mariners.
If the Royals are looking for power and upside, it's hard to imagine a better fit than Torres. He's a two-time All-Star who will play the entirety of next season at age 28, and even in a down year, he was named a Silver Slugger finalist.
Getting out of New York and playing next to a superstar in the middle of the diamond could be the best possible thing for Torres' career at the moment. And if he happens to get a shot at beating his former team in the playoffs next year, the Royals would be glad to have him on their side.
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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