The Royals had little offensive production from their outfield last year, and while they brought in Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas and are counting on improvement from Jac Caglianone, they are still looking for reinforcements. That could include veteran Starling Marte, as reporter Yancen Pujols indicates. He reports that the Royals are discussing a deal with the former Mets outfielder, with New York Post reporter Jon Heyman confirming.
The Royals have been reportedly interested in Marte before, reportedly inquiring about a trade with the Mets last year. The 37-year-old is a free agent now, coming off a season where he hit .270/.335/.410 with nine home runs and seven steals in 98 games with the Mets, worth 1.0 rWAR. Marte has generally been a high-average, high-contact hitter, although he has had trouble staying on the field later in his career, and rates poorly defensively in the outfield.
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Marte began his career in 2012 with the Pirates, and was a Gold Glover early on in left, earning an All-Star appearance in 2015. He signed a four-year, $78 million contract with the Mets before the 2022 season and was an All-Star that season, batting .292/.347/.468 wth 16 home runs. He followed that up with an awful 2023, but has been an above-average hitter in each of the last two seasons, although he has not appeared in as many as 100 games in either season.
Marte is a right-handed hitter, but does not have much of a platoon split. He played in just 12 games in the outfield last year and was -8 in Outs Above Average in 2024. He would likely need to spend most of his time at designated hitter, with occasional spells in the outfield. Collins and Thomas are trying to earn playing time in left field, but Collins is coming off a knee injury and Thomas is coming off foot surgery in the offseason.
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