In the latest of what has been a rather busy week for the Royals, the team has reportedly agreed to a two-year contract with free-agent outfielder Hunter Renfroe. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported the news early on Friday morning. Renfroe, who turns 32 in January, has been in the league for most of seven major league seasons. He made his MLB debut in 2016 for the Padres, appearing in 11 games.
Renfroe quickly made a name for himself as an impactful power bat. He hit 85 home runs from 2017 through 2019. In all, he has 177 career home runs with a .239/.300/.478 career slash line. The on-base ability leaves quite a bit to be desired, but that was never the draw for Renfroe. He should provide impactful heart-of-the-order power protection for Vinnie Pasquantino. The role for Kansas City likely profiles as a DH/OF split. Renfroe has a strong arm but has never been known for his defensive ability. The total agreement is a $13 million pact which includes a player option second-year, worth $7.5 million.
An unclear outfield becomes even more crowded
With the newest addition for the Royals, the outfield in Kansas City has become even more crowded. The team already had MJ Melendez, Edward Olivares, Nelson Velázquez, and Tyler Gentry vying for corner outfield time. They’ve now added Renfroe to that same mix. As a result, it seems all but certain that one of those holdovers from last season could find their way on the outs.
The most likely option is Olivares. The fourth-year outfielder has struggled to find his calling at the big-league level. His defense is worse than sub-par, whatever you’d like to call that. Offensively, however, he’s been an effective presence at times. Over 53 games in 2022, he slashed .286/.333/.410 with a 109 wRC+. He followed that up last season with a 105 wRC+ over 107 games. There’s offensive value to be had here, but it isn’t strong enough to warrant a full-time DH role that Olivares requires.
Perhaps a trade partner could be found, but more likely he would be designated for assignment. Other options include MJ Melendez — who’s been mentioned in trade discussions — and Tyler Gentry. Gentry was added to the 40-man earlier this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He’s yet to make his Major League debut and could be waiting a bit longer if nothing changes.
Both players would offer varying levels of trade value. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Royals trade one of those two controllable outfielders in their quest for another starting pitcher.