Inside The Royals

Red Sox Slugger Emerging As Trade Target For Royals To Solve Roster Issue

Kansas City's outfield is providing nothing at the plate
Colin Keane|
May 14, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A general view of a glove and Boston Red Sox hat in the dugout prior to a game between the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
May 14, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A general view of a glove and Boston Red Sox hat in the dugout prior to a game between the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

In this story:

Kansas City RoyalsBoston Red Sox

We’re only 16 games into the Major League Baseball season, but the Kansas City Royals outfield situation looks beyond dreary.

The Royals were 8-8 on the season entering Monday but would be a game or two above .500 if they were getting any plate production at all from their outfield.

Here are the slash lines for Kansas City’s starting outfielders so far:

MJ Melendez (14 games): .077/.182/.103 with 0 home runs and 0 RBI.
Hunter Renfroe (12 games): .128/.209/.154 with 0 home runs and 3 RBI.
Kyle Isbel (14 games): .282/.282/.410 with 1 home runs and 3 RBI.

Yikes.

You have to think the Royals’ brass is monitoring the market for an outfielder. Ceddanne Rafaela of the Boston Red Sox and Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox are two names to consider.

On the cheaper side, Lars Nootbaar of the St. Louis Cardinals and Andy Pages of the Los Angeles Dodgers are additional targets.

Another name to watch in connection to Kansas City is Red Sox outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida.

Yoshida is still recovering from right shoulder labral repair surgery completed in the offseason, but Boston won’t have room for him in the lineup once he’s healthy (which will be soon).

Yoshida’s bat would be a revelation for the Royals given their current plate production starvation coming from the outfield. Yoshida is still in his prime at 31 years old and is just two seasons removed from finishing sixth in Rookie of the Year voting with the Red Sox when he hit .289/.338/.445 with 15 home runs and 72 RBI in 2023.

Yoshida’s defense leaves a ton to be desired, and his contract is a load to take on ($18.6 million this season and in each of the next two), but Kansas City should consider going after him.

If the Royals were to acquire Yoshida and get the best version of him this year, it could be the difference between them being a fringe playoff team and a clear frontrunner in the division.

It’s not that Yoshida is that epic of a game-changer; it’s that the Royals are so solid everywhere else on their roster except in the outfield.

More MLB: Royals Could Poach 27-Year-Old Away From Cardinals To Strengthen Lineup

Published
Colin Keane
COLIN KEANE

Colin Keane is a writer for Kansas City Royals On SI. He graduated from Villanova University with a Major degree in English and a Minor degree in Business. Covering NBA, MLB, NFL and college basketball, he has contributed to various outlets including NESN and FanSided.

Home/News