Royals sign Alex Rios, hoping to find one-year contract magic
Ahhh, the wonders of the one-year veteran contract. The best recent example one-year magic is Nelson Cruz, who signed an $8 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles before the start of the 2014 season, then led the league with 40 homers and drove in 108 runs.
For players with baggage or players trying to get over a subpar season, the ol’ one-year deal is a way to prove themselves and get back on the open market. It’s also a way for teams to buy low and cross their fingers for the best. The Orioles got one of Cruz’s best seasons, won the AL East, then waved goodbye when he signed a four-year, $57 million deal with the Mariners.
To the point here: The Kansas City Royals and Alex Rios would both pretty happy if they produced the sequel to Cruz’s one-year magic.
On Monday, Rios reportedly agreed to an $11 million contract with the Royals that will put him in Kansas City for a year. That’s according to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. The Royals haven’t confirmed the deal yet.
Rios, who will be 34 by opening day, is coming off one of the worst years of his career. He hit just four homers and drove in 54 runs with the Texas Rangers in 2014, where, coincidentally, he replaced Cruz after his 2013 PED suspension. For his career, Rios has a 162-game average of his 17 homers and 78 RBIs with a .278/.323/.439 slash and a .762 OPS. His 2014 OPS (.709) was well below that.
The Royals are expected to put Rios in right field, where free-agent Nori Aoki played last season. Manager Ned Yost will likely spell Rios in the late innings for Jarrod Dyson, whose speed and defense helped the Royals down the stretch in 2014.
He’s got “bounce back” potential written all over him. And even if he doesn’t bounce back, at least the Royals are only committed to Rios for one year.
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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
