Royals shouldn’t confine top free agent target to just one specific position

The Kansas City Royals are in the hunt for outfield help, specifically a pair of corner outfielders. We all know that by this point.

Of all the free agent fits for the Royals this winter, the one that’s arguably been leading the charge has been Harrison Bader.

Not only is Bader coming off the best season of a career, he’s also coming of a year where he was utilized in multiple spots – and that’s something that’s a lot more useful in Kansas City at the moment than some might realize.

If the Royals sign Harrison Bader, they ought to lean into positional versatility

Last season, what many fans will look at when analyzing Bader is the bat – and so they should. Bader looked excellent at the plate, posting career highs in AVG (.277), OPS (.796), HR (17), RBI (54) and wRC+ (122) in 501 plate appearances between the Twins and Phillies.

This type of production would be nothing short of a godsend for a Royals outfield that posted an MLB worse 73 wRC+ and a 29th overall .633 OPS in the outfield last year.

But it wasn’t simply the bat that guided him to his second career 3.0+ fWAR season, Bader can do it with the glove to, posting 13 DRS, 6 OAA and a 5 FRV across the outfield in 2025. And that’s the key term here; “across the outfield”.

Bader made appearances at all three outfield spots and between his native center field spot at the corners, the amount of appearances were pretty similar – he made 81 appearances in center and 75 between left and right field.

J.J. Picollo may’ve stated that Kansas City is looking for an everyday left fielder and a right-handed platoon partner in right field for Jac Caglianone, and Bader would certainly check both of those boxes. However, if the Royals were to sign him, like many insiders seem to be predicting them to to do, they shouldn’t paint him into just those specific boxes.

Instead, they should also embrace the fact he also plays a heck of a center field.

One of the insiders championing the fit between the Royals and Bader is MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, and on Sunday he discussed how Bader could be of use to them in his traditional center field role.

“Kansas City got very little production out of center field last season (six home runs, 47 RBIs, .645 OPS), with Kyle Isbel getting about 70% of the at-bats,” Feinsand wrote.

And that’s what needs to be talked about more. Isbel has been a worthy steward for the Royals in center and plays Gold Glove-caliber defense there, that’s not up for debate. But while a .255 AVG is nothing to scoff at for a nine-hole hitter, Isbel’s .654 OPS and 79 wRC+ are doing more harm to this offensive unit than good.

This is where Bader could come in. While there’s certainly room for him to patrol the corners, perhaps there’s also room for him to be a right-handed platoon partner for Kyle Isbel in center field.

A hybrid role like this would ensure the Royals have someone with an above average bat who’s able to play the corners like they seem to desire so much, but could also create more production in center field while not sacrificing defense.

The Royals need corner outfield help, no doubt. However, they shouldn’t overlook an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and upgrade across the outfield if the right candidate comes along.

And Bader might just be that candidate.