The Royals announced Thursday that outfielder/designated hitter Franmil Reyes went unclaimed on outright waivers following his DFA earlier this week. He’s rejected an outright assignment from the team in favor of free agency. He can now sign with any club.
Reyes, 27, signed a minor league deal with the Royals back in February and made the team’s Opening Day roster. He slugged a pair of homers early in the season but fell into a swoon that saw him fail to reach base in 20 straight plate appearances. The Royals optioned him to Triple-A at that point, with Reyes toting an ugly .186/.231/.288 batting line and a 36.9% strikeout rate.
That marks a continuation of a downturn that began in 2022, when Reyes hit just .213/.254/.350 with a 37.1% strikeout rate in Cleveland before being placed on waivers and claimed by the Cubs. He improved slightly in Chicago, slashing .234/.301/.389, but it wasn’t enough for the Cubs to keep him the roster. He was outrighted off the 40-man, elected free agency, and eventually signed this deal with Kansas City.
Prior to that ugly 2022 campaign, the 6’5″ Reyes was a feared middle-of-the-order hitter. He’s turned in a pair of 30-homer campaigns in his career, including a career-high 37 big flies in 2019. From 2018-21, he took 1540 plate appearances and batted .260/.325/.503 with 92 home runs between San Diego and Cleveland. Strikeouts were an issue even then, as he fanned in 29.5% of his plate appearances, but he had enough power and drew enough walks (9%) that he was still a well-regarded offensive player (19% better than league-average, by measure of wRC+).
Reyes’ struggles in 2022-23 figure to make it tough for him to land a big league deal that’d place him right back on a 26-man roster, but a team searching for some right-handed power could certainly take a flier on a minor league pact and hope to get Reyes trending back toward that 2018-21 form.
A guy who strikes out too much, used to have a lot of power, and can’t field well? This has White Sox written all over it.
Strikes out to much. Chi-town’s windy enough.
Sounds like a perfect Phillie
Maybe it’s time to elect the KBO or NPB instead.
Franmil struggles with breakfast no balls.
Hello Gary Sanchez
The mighty have fallen
Hopefully a Padre again soon, albeit on a minor league deal
That’s a horrible idea, why would we need another player who strikes out altogether
If he swings at strike three, it’s better than what the current lineup does… Watch them fly by, bat planted on their shoulder…
Freaking seriously, can one of the 3 batting coaches stop with the whole being patient nonsense!
And for god sakes, enough with the bring him back to SD! That ship sailed long ago.
Is Merv Rettenmund still alive? I’ve heard him referenced lately, I swear he is but I’m not going to Google it. I’m trying to think of other batting coaches that worked on the “see ball, hit ball, drive ball” approach.
If you can’t play for the Royal’s, then it’s really over for you. We all understand wanting money, but you are expected to do something for it. If you can’t get well in the minors it’s time to hang it up. The Mets, now that’s another scary story too.
Maybe Mets, can’t be worse than Vogelbach lol
Sign him to a minor league deal Padres. Bring the Franimal back in the organization.
Let him go to KBO and become Eric Thames 2.0
I think he’s made more than enough to retire to a humble hacienda by the sea.
Pads should offer him a minors deal
No they shouldn’t
And I’ve elected to go with the McNugget happy meal
Replace Luke Voit.
I see negativity towards a Padres reunion, but I don’t see the harm in it. An organization he was clearly fond of, see if the high PCL can rehab him, and if not.. what’s the harm? Cheap insurance for if Nelson Cruz goes down.