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Royals interested in Red Sox outfielder Jonny Gomes

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says the Royals could be interested in the lefty-mashing, freedom-loving Gomes.

By Max Rieper
Jared Wickerham

The Royals continue to search for a power bat, preferably a right-handed one, that can help their struggling lineup. The defending World Champion Boston Red Sox are in the midst of a highly disappointing season, and may begin dumping assets to look forward to next year. One such possibility, is outfielder Jonny Gomes.

The 33-year old Gomes has long been a lefty-masher with defensive liabilities. Despite an overall line of .244/.335/.446 in his 12-year Major League career, Gomes has been quite valuable against southpaws, hitting .279/.379/.496. Gomes has been very up-and-down in his career with the Devil Rays, Reds, Nationals, Athletics, and Red Sox, but posted a solid season last year, hitting .247/.344/.426 with 13 HR 52 RBI, primarily platooning with Mike Carp. He has slumped this year to .234/.329/.351 with just 5 HR in 222 plate appearances. Despite his struggles, he has still hit lefties to the tune of .306/.403/.429.

Gomes has a decent walk rate throughout his career, at 10.3, but strikes out quite a bit. He is a defensive liability, although his lack of range has been mitigated a bit by playing left-field at Fenway Park. Gomes is a free agent at the end of the season, and is owed about $2.5 million the remainder of the year.

Since Gomes is having a down season and is an impending free agent, the asking price for him is likely to be quite low. A marginal prospect like Orlando Calixte or Bryan Brickhouse combined with a lottery ticket like Cesar Ogando is likely all it would take to land Gomes. Most likely, Gomes is a "Plan B" for any team looking to improve offense, as there are better options available, but for the price it would take to get him, he might be a good fit for a team not willing to give up much in money or talent.

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