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The Kansas City Royals have been no stranger to the offseason rumor mill<\/a> at the early stages of the winter months.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And one position that’s been at the forefront of many insider’s minds when making free agent fits for the Royals has been the outfield, which had to be the most underwhelming position for Kansas City offensively in 2025.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While the Royals will certainly be linked to lower-end outfield free agents this winter, like they usually are as a small market squad, Jim Bowden of The Athletic<\/em> got surprisingly bold with one of his Royals free agent fits.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He listed Kansas City as one of the “best fits” for Cody Bellinger in free agency, after the Yankees star and former MVP announced his intent to exercise his player option earlier this month<\/a> and test the waters of the open market.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n There’s no denying that Bellinger would be a welcome addition to this Royals outfield unit that ranked last in MLB in wRC+ this season<\/a> at 73 as well as their overall underwhelming offense as whole that sat tied for 22nd in wRC+<\/a> at 93. And as Bowden outlined, it’s more than just his bat that makes him an intriguing option.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Bellinger\u2019s ability to play above-average defense at all three outfield positions and first base increases his free-agent worth, although it looks like he\u2019s found a home in left field,” Bowden wrote.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If the Royals somehow pull off a deal for Bellinger, he would not have much stiff competition for the starting left field spot, given how it rotated hands between multiple names this past season that only posted a collective .224 AVG and .639 OPS<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, there’s several obstacles standing in the Royals way of making this rumor a reality.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n First, the fact that as a Top 10 free agent, according to Bowden and The Athletic, <\/em>the field vying for his signature is obviously going to be a robust one filled with big-market entities and other postseason contenders<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bowden’s list of “best fits” beyond the Royals include the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Guardians.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The other issue is going to be the financial side of things. As a small market team, handing out big money contracts in free agency haven’t been the Royals M.O.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bowden’s prediction for a Bellinger contract was something similar to George Springer’s 6-year, $150 million contract with the Blue Jays, Teoscar Hern\u00e1ndez $3-year, $66 million deal with the Dodgers or Brandon Nimmo’s 8-year, $162 million deal with the Mets.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nRoyals Rumors: The Athletic lists Royals as surprise free agent fit for Cody Bellinger<\/h2>\n