Kansas City Royals Roster
- AL Central
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- Kauffman Stadium
The Kansas City Royals signed free-agent infielder Matt Duffy to a minor-league deal on Friday that includes an invite to major-league spring training. Duffy will give the Royals some more infield depth after they just traded infielder Adalberto Mondesi to the Boston Red Sox this week. The 32-year-old veteran hit .250/.308/.311 with a .619 OPS, two home runs, 16 RBI and 14 runs scored in 247 plate appearances over 77 games for the Los Angeles Angels in 2022. He was much better for the Chicago Cubs the year prior, and there could be some decent playing time available for Duffy with the rebuilding Royals. Duffy has a .279 career batting average in seven big-league seasons, but the power is lacking (29 homers in 626 games).
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Tuesday that the Chicago White Sox have expressed interest in trading for Kansas City Royals second baseman/shortstop Nicky Lopez. However, the Royals are not eager to move Lopez, as they view him as an important depth player. The team's plan is to start Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop, Michael Massey at second base, and use Lopez in a utility role. The 27-year-old slashed .227/.281/.273 with no home runs, 51 runs scored, 20 RBI, and 13 stolen bases in 480 plate appearances in 2022. Lopez's fantasy value is already limited to stolen bases in roto leagues as is, and any dent in his playing time would further limit that.
The Kansas City Royals signed free-agent infielder Johan Camargo to a minor-league deal on Saturday. Camargo will provide the rebuilding Royals with some veteran infield depth for 2023. The 29-year-old hit .237/.297/.316 with a .613 OPS, three home runs, 15 RBI and eight runs scored in just 52 games in his first year with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022. He's more useful for his glove and defensive versatility on the infield, so Camargo most likely won't come into play in fantasy leagues, even the deepest ones. In his six-year major-league career, Camargo has a .255/.313/.410 slash line with a .723 OPS, 37 home runs, 159 RBI, 149 runs scored and two stolen bases in 1,339 plate appearances over 416 games. He won't be guaranteed to be on KC's Opening Day roster.
Free-agent left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman signed a one-year, $3.75 million deal with the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, according to a source. The hard-throwing 34-year-old veteran reliever had one of his worst seasons in the big leagues in 2022 with the New York Yankees with a career-worst 4.46 ERA (4.57 FIP), 1.43 WHIP, nine saves and career-low 26.9 percent strikeout rate in 36 1/3 relief innings. Chapman was on the injured list late in the season due to an infected tattoo on his leg and was left off New York's playoff roster for missing a team meeting. Scott Barlow had an excellent year for KC in 2022 and is penciled in to open the year as the primary closer, but Chapman has his fair share of closing experience and could eventually take over the job if he pitches well and Barlow struggles. But it's an understatement to say that Chapman's fantasy value has cratered.
Free-agent relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman threw a bullpen session for the Miami Marlins on Wednesday at Nova Southeastern University, according to a source. Miami's interest in the hard-throwing left-hander was reported on Tuesday, and the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres are also interested in signing him. The Cuban southpaw probably isn't returning to the New York Yankees after missing a mandatory meeting late last season and being kept off the playoff roster. The 34-year-old veteran lost the closing job in 2022 and showed signs of decline when he posted a career-worst 4.46 ERA (4.57 FIP), 1.43 WHIP, nine saves and career-low 26.9 percent strikeout rate. Chapman could regain closing duties if he lands in Miami, but it wouldn't be a guarantee.
