The Kansas City Royals are still alive in the American League Wild Card hunt, sitting three games back of the Seattle Mariners. They have a crucial series with Seattle next week, which could determine their Wild Card fate. They have unfortunately lost two consecutive games and are 4-6 in their last 10. They have also fallen behind both the Cleveland Guardians and Texas Rangers in the Wild Card race, as both of those teams have been surging.
The main issue to tackle this offseason for the Royals will be their offense. That is what has let them down in 2025 after not much was done to address it. Former Royal Ryan O’Hearn will be a free agent at the end of the season after a breakout year.
However, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report predicts that the Royals will not reunite with O’Hearn and that he will instead sign with the Cincinnati Reds.
“The Reds have had an extremely difficult time fielding a competent outfield the last few years, but with Noelvi Marte making a full-time shift to right field and Spencer Steer further removed from shoulder problems, first base now looks like the target spot to add a run producer. They could also make a push to re-sign Austin Hays, who has provided terrific production on a one-year, $4 million deal and is likely to decline his end of a $12 million mutual option,” Reuter wrote.
O’Hearn made his Major League debut with the Royals back in 2018. That was his best year with the Royals, as he hit .262/.353/.597 with 12 home runs, 30 RBI and a .950 OPS. This year, he was an All-Star for the first time with the Baltimore Orioles.
Now with the San Diego Padres, the former Royal is slashing .277/.368/.444 with 16 home runs, 54 RBI, a 2.1 WAR and an .812 OPS. He also has a 126 OPS+ and 114 hits and 412 at-bats.
The Royals might be wise to at least pursue him this winter, but they aren’t typically big spenders, and they’ll have a ton of competition from other teams that need help offensively.
He provides power from the left side of the plate and the ability to play first base and the outfield on occasion. It will be interesting to see what his market looks like.
More MLB: Reds Former All-Star Outfielder Predicted To Ditch Cincinnati For Royals
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