The Kansas City Royals are still alive in the American League Wild Card race. At 58-60, they sit just four games back of the final spot, but with three teams ahead of them. They won 86 games last year and were the second AL Wild Card team.
This season, they have struggled offensively. That has been their achilles heel for much of the season, and though they picked up Randal Grichuk, Mike Yastrzemski and Adam Frazier via trade, all three players will be free agents at the end of the 2025 season. Even calling up top prospect Jac Caglianone didn’t fix their offensive issues.
When the offseason rolls around, the Royals would be wise to target some outfield help. Among the cast of characters in free agency will be New York Mets outfielder and former All-Star Jesse Winker. Perhaps the Royals could take a look at him.
Winker has struggled this season, hitting .229/.309/.400 with just one home run, 10 RBI and a .709 OPS. However, he has been out with a back injury for much of the year, and he could benefit from an opportunity to bounce back.
Due to his injuries and struggles, it is highly unlikely that the Mets will bring him back, but when he is healthy, he can provide power from the left side of the plate, serve as a designated hitter, and even play all three outfield positions.
With all three trade acquisitions set to hit the open market for Kansas City, targeting somebody like Winker would make sense as they try to bolster their offense for the 2026 season.
Winker was an All-Star in 2021 with the Cincinnati Reds. He has also spent time with the Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers and Washington Nationals.
The Mets picked him up last year at the trade deadline and re-signed him last offseason. He’ll have a chance to test the waters of free agency again this coming winter, and plenty of contending teams could take a flier on him.
The Royals will likely look to contend in 2026, so he could potentially be on their radar if they are looking for outfield help in the offseason.
The 31-year-old is a career .261 hitter with 96 home runs, an .802 OPS and a 117 OPS+. We’ll see what his market looks like.
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