Another free agent position player is off the board, as CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports that the Royals have agreed to a one-year, $11 million contract with outfielder Alex Rios. He’ll take over right field from Nori Aoki, who is still likely to land a multi-year deal on the open market.
Rios, who turns 34 in February, batted .280/.311/.398 with four home runs and 54 RBI over 131 games with the Rangers this past season. He became a free agent at the end of October after Texas declined his $13.5 million club option for 2015.
Rios was bothered by ankle and thumb injuries this year, so there’s some bounce back potential if he’s healthy. The Royals also recently signed another Scott Boras client, Kendrys Morales, off a down season, so the defending American League champions are banking big on rebounds.