One of the most active teams of the MLB offseason so far is the Kansas City Royals. That continued on Friday with the news that Kansas City agreed to a contract with free agent outfielder Hunter Renfroe, per Mark Feinsand.
The deal is worth $13 million with 2025 being a player option for Renfroe, according to Jon Heyman.
Renfroe, who turns 32 before the 2024 season, split time between the Los Angeles Angels and Cincinnati Reds last season. In 140 games he posted a .233 batting average, .713 OPS, 20 home runs, 31 doubles and 60 RBIs.
Renfroe is known for his power and it's been pretty consistent throughout his career. Excluding the shortened 2020 season, Renfroe averaged 27.5 home runs per year from 2017 to 2023, including two seasons with more than 30.
In the last three seasons, he's averaged 27 home runs, 29 doubles and 76 RBIs with a .779 OPS. His best season came in 2021 with the Boston Red Sox when he recorded career-highs in games, hits, runs, doubles, RBIs, batting average and on-base percentage to go along with 31 home runs and a .816 OPS.
Who are these Royals?
After their eighth straight season, it's clear the Royals are tired of losing and are making significant strides to bolster the roster and get out of the AL Central basement in 2024.
Just over five weeks into the MLB offseason, the Royals can already say they've improved in all facets of the game on paper with the additions they've made so far.
Kansas City brought depth to its bullpen with the signing of Will Smith and the acquisition of Nick Anderson from the Atlanta Braves. The pitching growth didn’t stop there as the Royals made another trade with the Braves for former 21-game winner Kyle Wright before signing Seth Lugo to a $45 million deal to sure up the rotation.
They've been a little quieter offensively, as Renfroe joins utility man Garrett Hampson as the only major league bats the Royals have added via MLB free agency.
It's hard to get worse than a 106-loss season and after enduring that in 2023, the Royals should be much improved in 2024 and could contend in what should be a wide-open AL Central.
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