Bargain Shopping – The Hitters

Previously, we looked at bargain pitchers the Royals might be looking at to round out their 2017 roster. While the choices there were, and are robust, the offensive side has some bargains the Royals might be interested in as well. This list is shorter for a couple reasons. One, there aren’t as many true bargains to be found. And two, the Royals aren’t likely to make many moves that would fit this list because they’re pretty well set at most positions. You can argue if they should be set, but that’s a story for another day.

Let’s get to the potential bargains.

Pedro Alvarez – He’s a guy who I think would actually make more sense if the Royals trade Jarrod Dyson than if they don’t. I know that’s weird that those two would be intertwined, but Alvarez can’t hit left-handed pitching so there would need to be some platoon element where Alvarez was the DH against righties and Soler against lefties while the outfield moved around a little bit. Since Dyson also struggles with lefties, that wouldn’t work. Anyway, with Alvarez, you get legitimate power, some patience and a lot of swing and miss. He’s not my favorite player, but for the right price, he’d be a good fit in the lineup if he was used correctly. The issue is that it does remove some of the rotating DH flexibility they so desire.

Chris Carter – I’ve talked a little about Carter, but I’m not a big fan. He has huge power and he works a walk, but that’s about all he does. He doesn’t run the bases well. He’s not good defensively. That said, if the Royals want to add a thumper and he comes cheap, it might be fun to see him hit 30 homers for the Royals at DH. Of course, he would also take away the flexibility they want, and I have a feeling the Royals will be using Jorge Soler at DH more often than they are letting on.

Chris Coghlan – He’d be a super utility type, having appeared at first, second, third, left and right last season. He works a walk very well and doesn’t strike out too often, so he’s good for a pretty decent OBP even if he doesn’t have a great average. It’s worth noting that he hit .146/.215/.272 for the A’s before hitting .252/.391/.388 for the Cubs in 48 games to end the season. He’d be an interesting option to help with versatility to use a rotating DH.

Colby Rasmus – When the 2016 season was in its infancy, Rasmus looked like he was heading for a massive payday, hitting .293/.440/.707 in his first 19 games. After that, the bottom fell out as he dealt with injuries and just poor play in general. He did show that he could be a very good defensive corner outfielder who could handle center. There’s no place for him on the roster right now, but if the Royals trade Dyson, he might make some sense.

Michael Saunders – His great start lasted longer than Rasmus as he was hitting .298/.372/.559 at the break. He fell off a cliff in the second half as well, but one thing that’s worth noting is that he actually stayed healthy. That’s been an issue for him in his career. If he could be had for a bargain, I feel like he’d slot nicely in the bottom of the middle of the Royals order. He’ll strike out a lot, but he’ll work a walk and he has some legitimate power. I wouldn’t spend more than $3 or $4 million on him, so he might get priced out, but this is a name I’d keep an eye on.

Luis Valbuena – I’m a little confused as to why he hasn’t gotten more attention as a free agent this year. He is not a star, but he did hit .260/.357/.459 with 13 homers a year after hitting .224/.310/.438 with 25 homers for Houston. He can play first, third and second and has played some outfield in his career. He works a walk and doesn’t strike out so much that you notice it. The only place I’d play him every day is third, but he could be a nice depth piece who could be especially useful if the Royals decided to trade someone like Cheslor Cuthbert.

Like I said, there’s not a ton there, but all of the above could help the Royals lineup in their own ways. You’re obviously not likely to get a star out of this group, but some of them like Saunders could actually break out and be the middle of the order bat the Royals really still need.