The Royals had been searching for an outfielder this offseason, and I didn’t think the outfield market was in the Royals favor; but, they found a way by signing Michael Taylor to a cheap one-year deal. After Taylor signed, the Royals weren’t done adding pieces to their outfield. On February 10, the Royals were part of a trade that included the Red Sox and the Mets. The Royals acquired Andrew Benintendi from the Red Sox for outfielder Franchy Cordero. The Red Sox will receive two players to be named later from the Royals. While the Royals and the Mets struck an agreement on a trade as well, I believe Benintendi is the biggest piece in this deal. The Royals are looking to compete in 2021. I believe with the moves they have made during the offseason, they have shown they are looking to be a threat in the American League. I think the Benintendi acquisition really proves that. Although I am all in with the Benintendi acquisition, I don’t expect him to be a super big power threat in the Royals lineup. However, I do believe with the Royals having two years of contract control (via one year of arbitration) they will be able to sign their core players to long-term deals with no big contracts standing in their way. Benintendi struggled in 2020 with injury issues. The Royals always seem to acquire players with injury issues. Let’s hope that isn’t the case with Benintendi. Heading into the season, Benintendi is projected to hit for power with 14 home runs and 54 runs batted in. I believe with Benintendi playing at Kauffman Stadium, he could hit between 59 or 61 runs batted in. In my opinion, the Royals lineup with the addition of Benintendi, could be a challenge for opposing pitchers in 2021. Although the Royals have made these additions during the off-season, I think they will just fall short on making the playoffs in 2021.
