Last December, the Royals signed Maikel Franco to a one-year deal worth $2.95 million guaranteed with the hopes that he would become KC’s everyday third baseman in 2020. After the 2019 season, the Royals moved Hunter Dozier to the outfield. For some Royals fans, this was a somewhat surprising move along with the signing of Franco. I know it surprised me. At the same time, this is the type of deal the Royals are known to make. After coming off a down season with the Phillies, the Royals are hoping Franco can turn around his career. Let’s just hope it doesn’t turn into a Chris Owings signing. I doubt that will happen though. Last season Franco hit 17 home runs with the Phillies, so he obviously has some pop in his bat. Even though I still have hopes that Royals prospect Kelvin Gutierrez will eventually become the everyday third baseman, I believe Franco will have a good year with the Royals. I think if Franco has a good season for the Royals, they could trade him at the trade deadline for a decent prospect or two, if there is a trade deadline. There is always that chance that Franco could be the future third baseman for the Royals. Remember, he’s only 27-years of age. So, he still has some good years left in him. With a shorter season however, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Royals did a platoon at third base with Franco and Gutierrez. This is most likely what they’ll do at first base with Ryan O’Hearn and Ryan McBroom. We’ll just have to see how the third baseman position plays out in 2020, and beyond.
