Royals: 3 free agents to sign and 1 to avoid this offseason

Mike Matheny has plenty of history with Wong dating back to their days in St. Louis, and it was Matheny who helped Wong become one of the better slap-hitting second basemen in the game. While Wong is looking to use his speed and glove to cash in this offseason, the Royals need to stay away from him. Kansas City has speed and defense in bunches. What they need is some pop in the middle of the order. Is a guy with a 94 OPS+ in his career and one home run last year really worth breaking the bank for? Nicky Lopez is by no means a world-beater at second, but letting the cheap, inexperienced option play second would be better than breaking the bank and getting Wong.

The only reason to bring Wong on is to stick it to the hated-rival Cardinals. While Matheny might be familiar with him, Wong is a square peg that doesn’t fit into the round hole Moore is trying to fill this offseason. He is an excellent player that will cash in elsewhere, but Wong is best served heading to a contender in need of a sure glove in the infield, not a rebuilding team looking for someone that can strike fear into opposing pitchers at the plate. A middle infielder like Schoop would be a cheaper option that truly feels a need, while Wong would be an unusual fit on the 2021 team.