In losing both Alex Gordon and Alex Rios to free agency the Royals now have two corner outfield spots to fill and general manager Dayton Moore indicated today that they plan to give Jarrod Dyson one of the starting jobs.
Dyson has been a semi-regular for the Royals since 2012, averaging 100 games and 271 plate appearances per season while hitting .260 with a .668 OPS. His hitting is well below par for a corner outfielder--he’s totaled just six homers in 443 games as a big leaguer--but Dyson has 40-steal speed and excellent range.
Dyson would allow the Royals to save money on one starting job and avoid making a multi-year commitment to a player who might end up blocking a prospect like Bubba Starling as soon as 2017. Also worth noting: Kansas City won the World Series with Rios posting a .640 OPS in right field, so the bar for Dyson to clear isn’t a high one.