FanPost

Big Free Agent Signings

Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

The Royals, I believe, need to make a big move in the free agent market that will be widely noticed by the rest of the major leagues. This will help the team's competitive chances for 2017, well worth the money spent on them. Now this is probably going to be the most controversial of the lists I have created, as you people at Royals Review love to argue and complain about signing a free agent, or put people down by saying "It's not going to happen". Go ahead and call me crazy all you want. Frankly, I don't care what you doubters have to say, because the Royals are really going to have to go off the deep end to really stay competitive in one of the worst free agent markets in history. So, here are some of the biggest free agents that are not only in the Royals price range, but also will be a major help to the team for the 2017 season. Keep in mind that the free agent market is terrible this year, so there are no Greinkes or Prices or Heywards for this season.

Carlos Beltran:

2016 Stats: .295/.337/.513 , 29 HR, 93 RBI, 0 SB, 35 BB, 101 SO

A reunion with Beltran would be a very wise choice for the Royals to replace Kendrys Morales, who the Royals are probably going to walk on. Beltran and Morales are both power threats, can have great contact, are switch hitters, are experienced, but Beltran has a significant edge in speed over Morales, which would be a welcome addition in the DH position. I mean, the DH doesn't need to be as fast as Dyson, but having them be faster than most DHs adds an element of unpredictability to the team, as the entire team, except for the catcher, can run. Beltran can still run, even though he didn't steal a single base in 2016, and put up these offensive numbers at 39 years old, so age shouldn't be too much of a problem. Plus, signing him will be a major boost come October, as Beltran has established himself as a postseason menace. But if you don't want Beltran to DH, he can serve as right fielder, and still do a solid job at it.

Recommended Terms: 2-year contract.

Neil Walker: (UPDATE: Taken)

2016 Batting Stats: .282/.347/.476 , 23 HR, 55 RBI, 3 SB, 42 BB, 84 SO

2016 Fielding Stats: .986 Fld%, 7 errors, 4.47 RF/9, 0 Runs Saved

I'll be honest with you. I'm not comfortable with the idea of Whit Merrifield being our starting second basemen, as I am concerned about a massive sophomore slump for him. At his age, a sophomore slump for him would be devastating to both him, and the Royals. If you don't want to travel down this road, and you don't feel comfortable enough with Mondesi yet, then I'd recommend signing Neil Walker. Signing him would provide a power bat at second base with decent contact, a valuable switch hitter, and a solid glove at second base that's about equal to Merrifield. But during some years, Walker had a range factor as high as 5 RF/9, much higher than Merrifield's 4.44 RF/9. All in all, signing walker will provide a big boost in offense, and a slight upgrade at second base. His bat is what I really want more. He knows how to take a walk, something which the Royals desperately need to do, and is hard to strike out, which plays into the Royals philosophy of high contact, low strikeout.

Recommended Terms: 2-year contract to 4-year contract.

Mark Melancon:

2016 Stats: 2-2, 71.1 IP, 1.64 ERA, 65 SO, 12 BB, 3 HR, 0.897 WHIP, 47 Saves

I don't care how delusional you think I am. I believe the Royals have a chance to snatch Mark Melancon from the Nats and they should take it. If the team is talking about shipping Wade Davis, then it would be a good idea to sign Melancon to fill in for him. But the course I recommend most, is pushing Davis to setup man in order to take a load off his forearm, and slot Melancon in as the closer. Melancon's abilities go perfectly with the Royals style of defense, as he can both strike out a ton of batters, and induce lots and lots of ground balls with his wicked cutter and curveball. Now, I get it that the last time we shopped for a big reliever (Soria) that it turned out disastrous, but Melancon I strongly believe is a different case. See, Soria was garbage in 2015 during his tenure with Detroit, but had an okay second half with Pittsburgh. Melancon has been tough as nails all year long, and shows no signs of running out of gas, so I'd take him now. Open up the wallet and take him!

Recommended Terms: 1-year contract to 3-year contract.

Matt Holliday:

2014 Stats: .272/.370/.441 , 20 HR, 90 RBI, 4 SB, 74 BB, 100 SO

2016 Stats: .246/.322/.461, 20 HR, 62 RBI, 0 SB, 35 BB, 71 SO

I included Holliday's line from 2014 because injury shortened his 2016 season, so included his last full season to show us what he can do when 100% healthy. I saw a little conversation on Twitter some time ago about the Royals signing Matt Holliday, and I found it very interesting. Looking back at it, it may actually work. For one, Holliday really knows how to take a walk, something which I really like in him, as a batter who walks a lot can be nothing but irritating to the pitcher. He also plays into the low strikeout philosophy of the Royals, and can provide power. All the team needs to do is tune up his bat a little bit, and the Royals have an excellent option for DH. I did not include his fielding stats, as I believe that Holliday will probably not be left fielder for the Royals as we already have Alex Gordon for that.

Recommended Terms: 1-year contract to 2-year contract.

Edwin Encarnacion:

2016 Stats: .263/.357/.529 , 42 HR, 127 RBI, 2 SB, 87 BB, 138 K

Okay, I know this is a crazy one, but I included this for the Royals players. Based on what I saw in 2016, it seemed like all the Royals wanted to do is hit bombs. And if that's all the team wants to do, then Edwin Encarnacion is the way to go for the team. With Edwin, the Royals get an uber-powerful bat that really knows how to take a walk, and can drive the bus with ridiculous efficiency and skill. If you want a player that knows how to drive the bus, Encarnacion should be the driver for the Royals. Although he strikes out a lot more than I'd prefer, his walks and home run power make up for it. Perhaps this isn't so crazy of an option, as the Cleveland Indians chose to sign Mike Napoli, who doesn't really play in to their style of offense, but still managed to help the team win the pennant. Just let me know what you guys think about this. I got my flame shield up.

Recommended Terms: 2-year contract to 3-year contract.

This FanPost was written by a member of the Royals Review community. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the editors and writers of this site.