5 former Royals free agents it's not too late to bring back

2. Whit Merrifield, 2B/OF

Whit Merrifield is probably the best player on this list, but also the one whose fit is the most unclear. Another issue might be that he and the Royals may not have parted on the best of terms when he was traded to Toronto midway through the 2022 campaign, though neither party has really made anything public.

Still, Merrifield was an effective player for the Blue Jays last season. He slashed .272/.318/.382/.700. While these numbers a bit below his career numbers, there wasn't a big overall drop off. He also had 38 extra-base hits and 26 stolen bases with almost 600 plate appearances.

At this point in his career, Merrifield is just an average fielder but he can play all outfield spots and second base. The Royals outfield might be a bit crowded in the outfield for someone looking for regular playing time so there won't be much opportunity there and the Royals seem intent on giving Michael Massey another year to develop at the major league level at second base.

Massey was wildly inconsistent last season but showed enough promise to deserve another season to prove himself, but if Merrifield remains on the open market, and if the team has doubts about Massey, and if here isn't any ill will between the team and player, Merrifield just might be a fine addition due to his hard-nosed playing style and his positional flexibility. That' probably too many ifs.