Finding That Run Producing Outfielder

On Tuesday, we dissected the Royals’ roster in an attempt to go from the -90 run differential of 2008 to at least even, if not better, in 2009. For me at least, that column crystalized that the primary target in the off-season simply had to be a run producing outfielder to replace Mark Teahen. To be honest, I’d probably prefer to give Teahen one more year and replace Jose Guillen (they created nearly the same number of runs in 2008), but that’s not going to happen. The two names that immediately come to mind as being available and an upgrade were Bobby Abreu and Raul Ibanez. In Ibanez, you have a player who will turn 37 in June of 2009. He’ll hit you 20 to 25 homers, drive in runs, be a good clubhouse guy and get on base in the .350 range. That is an upgrade, but his age really has to start being a concern. In Abreu, you have... [read full story]