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

1. Zack Greinke, SP

Of all these choices, Zack Greinke seems to be the most likely to re-sign with the Royals. He has history, and Kansas City seemed to like having him around the clubhouse. He's only 21 strikeouts from 3,000 and fans would love for him to get to that mark in a Royals uniform.

At 40, he certainly isn't anywhere near the pitcher he was when he won the Cy Young in 2009. Last year, he went just 2-15 and struggled to pitch deep into any games. He went six innings just three times all season.

If the Royals signed Greinke, they could use him and Jordan Lyles together -- one as an opener and the other pitch afterward. Both would probably be more effective seeing batters fewer times. The downside to this plan would be the Royals would be wasting two roster spots for one rotation spot.

While the fans would love to see Greinke finish out his career in Kansas City and get to that magical 3,000 K milestone, it's hard to see this being a great fit for the Royals. It's possible that nostalgia wins out here and Kansas City inks the future Hall of Famer to a one-year deal.

A case could be made for any of the these former Kansas City Royals to come back into the fold. None would demand a high salary. All might offer something positive, and most could fill a spot that hasn't been secured yet on the roster. It wouldn't be shocking to see at least one of these players rejoin the Royals.