Possible Solutions
- Internal Options: India, Massey
- External Free Agent Targets: Luis Arraez, Frazier
India and Massey seemed like a great pair who could provide stability at second base for the Royals in 2025. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, much to Kansas City’s chagrin.
In his first season with the Royals, India had a disastrous campaign in 2025. In 567 plate appearances, he posted an 89 wRC+ and -0.3 fWAR. The Royals tried to move him around at the beginning of the year between second, third, and left field. However, they scrapped that plan after India struggled defensively at his new positions and was kept at second base for the remainder of the year.
Massey didn’t have much of a better season. He posted a -0.4 fWAR and 57 wRC+ in 277 plate appearances. Like in 2024, he struggled through nagging injuries, but this time, the production wasn’t great in his limited sample. The Royals have long liked Massey for his glove and pop for his position. That said, if he doesn’t turn it around, he may be out the door soon, much like India, who’s entering his final year of team control in Kansas City.
Picollo may opt to look outside for help, starting first by bringing back Frazier, who thrived in his return to Kansas City in the second half. In 56 games and 197 plate appearances, the veteran hit .283 with a 98 wRC+ and 0.6 fWAR. He doesn’t provide a ton of pop, but he does give the Royals the professional at-bats that have benefited the Royals over the past 1.5 seasons.
A more outlandish option may be Arraez, who is a free agent after a successful recent tenure with the Padres. The 28-year-old doesn’t flash much power (.100 ISO last year). That said, he doesn’t strike out (3.1% strikeout rate last year), and his high-contact, spray-the-ball-around approach could be a nice fit in Kauffman Stadium, and in the leadoff spot ahead of Witt.
The primary issue with Arraez is cost (his market value is around $14 million, according to Spotrac) and the fact that he doesn’t offer much else beyond his ability to hit for average. He’s got no power, he’s not a good defender, and he’s not the fastest baserunner.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.justbaseball.com ’
