Kansas City Royals fans haven’t known Mike Yastrzemski for very long, but they’re loving what they’re seeing so far.
Yastrzemski came to the Royals on July 31 after spending the first 6 1/2 years of his major league career with the San Francisco Giants. All he’s done since then is lead off three games with home runs, belt four other round-trippers, and put up a .976 OPS and 1.3 bWAR in 27 games.
Small sample sizes can be dangerous, but everything Yastrzemski is showing suggests he could be a fit in Kansas City beyond this season. Will the Royals put in an effort to make sure that happens?
On Tuesday, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report predicted that Yastrzemski would remain with the Royals after hitting free agency this winter, despite the presence of rookie Jac Caglianone at the veteran Yastrzemski’s current position of right field.
“Seth Lugo would have been the big free agent for the Royals this offseason, but he instead agreed to a two-year, $46 million extension back in July,” wrote Kelly.
“However, Mike Yastrzemski has homered seven times and posted a .976 OPS since being acquired at the trade deadline. Considering how bleak Kansas City’s outfield production was before his arrival, it stands to reason they could try to bring him back on a one-year deal for his age-35 season in 2026.”
Certainly, either of Yastrzemski or Caglianone could figure out left field at Kauffman Stadium, which is vast, but not much more so than right. And with defensive specialist Kyle Isbel in center, the Royals might have their most well-balanced outfield of the 2020s next season.
The question is what sort of contract it will take to keep an outfielder in his mid-thirties at the end of a hot streak. Spotrac currently projects a one-year, $10 million deal, which is barely a raise on Yastrzemski’s $9.25 million figure from this season.
If that’s all it takes, Kansas City almost has no excuse to let Yastrzemski walk.
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