Free agent bench options for the Royals
Need a bench bat?
The Royals may be “75 percent done” with their off-season, but they are still looking to fill out their roster, according to J.J. Picollo. He says the Royals are looking to add a left-handed bat, preferably an infielder, for a role position. That could mean bringing back Adam Frazier, as Ken Rosenthal reported could be a possibility. The Royals could also look for reunions with Paul DeJong, Garrett Hampson, Tommy Pham, or Robbie Grossman.
If the Royals look to go in a different direction with a bench bat, here are some possibilities.
Jon Berti led the National League in steals with 41 in 2022 as a role player. The Yankees acquired him this year hoping he could be a valuable bench addition, but he missed most of the year with a calf strain, playing in just 25 games, leading to his non-tender. Berti’s calling card is speed, but he hasn’t been awful with the bat, hitting .259/.337./366 in his seven-year career. The 34-year-old is a right-handed bat capable of playing all over the field, and should have some demand for his services.
Cavan Biggio had a 3 WAR rookie season in 2019, but has really struggled to hit the last four seasons and has begun to bounce around the league. He was on three teams this season, appearing in 78 games, but hit just .197/.314/.303 with five home runs. Biggio, the son of Hall of Fame Craig, is a left-handed bat who can play all over the field. He has hit for a low average, but he does have a very good eye with a career 13.5 percent walk rate. He won’t turn 30 until April, and it won’t take much to sign him, so he could be a decent “buy low” option.
Sam Haggerty is a switch-hitter who has played mostly outfield, but has dabbled a bit at second base. He was a 2.2 rWAR player in 2022, and hit .255/.345/.382 in 309 plate appearances over 2022-23 with the Mariners. He missed most of this season with a torn Achilles, limiting him to just eight MLB games. He has good speed with 33 steals in 36 attempts at the big league level and has a fairly patient eye with a career 9.2 percent walk rate.
Kiké Hernández has been in the post-season in nine of his eleven big league seasons. He has a reputation as a great clubhouse guy and has some big hits for the champion Dodgers this post-season. The 33-year-old hit just .229/.281/.373 with 12 home runs in the regular season, and he hasn’t posted an OPS+ over 100 since 2021. But he has great positional versatility and veteran presence, so he could command a decent contract this winter.
Hyeseong Kim is coming to North America after eight years in the KBO in Korea. A left-handed hitting middle infielder, Kim won’t turn 26 til January, making him very young for a free agent. He hit .326/.383/.458 with 30 steals for the Kiwoom Heroes, and while he hit a career-high 11 home runs, he likely won’t hit for much power stateside. Any team interested in Kim would have to negotiate a release fee with the Heroes. The Mariners are already said to be interested in him.
Nicky Lopez is an old friend who played for the Royals from 2019 to 2023. He spent this season with his hometown White Sox and hit .241/.312/.294 in 124 games. The lefty bat has virtually no power, but has shown a bit of an ability to draw walks and is good at making contact and putting the ball in play. He has also been a very good defender at middle infield positions, but the 29-year-old is coming off a poor season in baserunning.
Whit Merrifield is another old friend, at age 35, he may be nearing the end of his career. This year he hit .211/.311/.314 with four home runs and 17 steals in 95 games with the Phillies and Braves. He hasn’t posted a 100 OPS+ season since 2019 with the Royals. The three-time stolen base champ is still a good baserunner, and he had a career high 10.4 percent walk rate this year. His defense has fallen off but he is still capable of playing second and outfield, and even spent some time at third this year.
Kevin Pillar is likely only playable against left-handers at this point - he hit .310/.352/.500 against them this year. The 35-year-old faced the Royals in his rookie season in 2015, and has enjoyed a nice 12-year career as a right-handed hitting outfielder. He has bounced around with nine teams in the last six seasons, but time is running out on his career.
Jorge Polanco is a former All-Star who has been a starter, but he may have to work his way back as a role player after a poor season and a major knee injury. He hit just .213/.296/.355 with 16 home runs in 118 games with the Mariners this year, and had knee surgery in October. But the 31-year-old has a very solid track record as a well-above average-hitting middle infielder, hitting 33 home runs as recently as 2021.
Josh Rojas has been linked to the Royals in reports, and makes sense as a left-handed hitting-infielder capable of playing all over the field. The 30-year-old is a career .247/.323/.362 hitter in six seasons, but dipped to .225/.304/.336 with 10 steals in 142 games this year for the Mariners. He likely won’t be much of an offense force, but he does a lot of things well for a bench player and provides a lot of versatility.
Amed Rosario keeps bouncing around despite having a decent bat for an infielder. He played for three teams this year and hit .280/.306/.380 with 13 steals in 103 games, numbers very much in line with his career averages. But he’s been a terrible defender, and he began playing more right field this year after beginning his career as a middle infielder. Still, he’s just 29 years old and he puts the ball in play with low strikeout rates.
Donovan Solano has been a very solid offensive player for an infielder for several years, bouncing around from six teams in 11 seasons. This year he hit .286/.343/.417 with 8 home runs in 96 games with the Padres, playing mostly first and third. He is pretty limited defensively, making him more of a fit at the corners than up the middle. He just turned 37 years old, so his productive years may be drawing to a close.
Luis Urías is a low-average, high-walk hitter who can play all over the infield. The 27-year-ol d right-handed hitter batted .191/.303/.394 in 41 games with the Mariners, but has a 10.3 percent career walk rate. He hit 23 home runs in 2021, so he has some power. His defense isn’t awful, but he’s probably most suited at third base now.
Jesse Winker is a former All-Star who had a disastrous 2023 with the Brewers, but bounced back this year to hit .253/.360/.405 with 14 home runs and 14 steals in 145 games with the Nationals and Mets. The 31-year-old left-handed hitter has been a patient bat with a 12.8 percent career walk rate, and he doesn’t strikeout a ton. His outfield defense is pretty subpar and there have been rumors he has not been a great clubhouse presence.