These are eight free agents the Royals could pursue this winter, national writers say

Let’s start by stating the obvious: Aaron Judge, Jacob deGrom, Trey Turner and Justin Verlander won’t be signing with the Royals as a free agent.

Those are some of the top players available this offseason, and the Royals won’t be making an offer to them.

However, the Royals likely won’t be spectators in the free-agent market. As The Star’s Lynn Worthy reported last week, executive vice president/general manager J.J. Picollo is looking to add a pair of starting pitchers, a veteran hitter (outfield or third base), bullpen help and a backup catcher.

Which free agents might be on the Royals’ radar? Here is what national baseball writers are saying.

SP Michael Wacha

CBS Sports’ R.J. Walker thinks Wacha’s landing spots could be the Royals, Brewers or Blue Jays. Last season, he pitched for the Red Sox.

“Wacha has become a back-of-the-rotation nomad, pitching for a different team in each of the past four seasons,” Walker wrote. “He might make it five-for-five following his strongest effort since 2018.“

SP Sean Manea

Two members of MLB Trade Rumors see Manea returning to the Royals organization. He was drafted by Kansas City in 2013 but was traded as a minor-leaguer to the A’s for Ben Zobrist.

“Heading into the season, we viewed Manea as a candidate for a five-year deal and considered him someone who could vie for a spot in our Top 10 free agents,” MLB Trade Rumors wrote. “He didn’t have a good enough season for that to be the case, but aside from a pair of second-half shellackings at Dodger Stadium and that playoff meltdown, he’s largely looked like himself.”

OF Brandon Nimmo

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden listed the Royals as one of the best fits for Nimmo, along with the Blue Jays, Yankees, Tigers, Mets, Rangers and Padres. That’s a different class of spenders than the Royals would typically be associated with, and the projected price tag seems high by KC’s standards: five years, $100 million.

SP Jose Quintana

Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors sees Quintana, who was with the Cardinals and Pirates a year ago, as potentially getting a two-year $24 million contract from the Royals.

“Quintana was a consistently excellent mid-rotation presence for the White Sox early in his career,” wrote MLB Trade Rumors. “After a blockbuster trade sent him to the Cubs, he offered more back-of-the-rotation production for a few seasons.”

SP Ross Stripling

CBS Sports sees the Royals, Angels and Diamondbacks as potential fits for Stripling, who was with Toronto a year ago.

“Stripling, plagued by the home-run ball throughout his career, may have figured out a solution to the problem in the form of his new changeup,” Walker wrote.

SP Zach Eflin

The longtime Phillies starter could be had for a two-year, $22 million deal, MLB Trade Rumors believes. Darragh McDonald sees the Royals as being in the mix.

“Eflin pitched well out of the bullpen and could draw some interest as a high-leverage option in that capacity,” wrote MLB Trade Rumors. “He’s probably more valuable as a starting pitcher, though, and it stands to reason he’ll find a number of rotation opportunities this winter. Heading into his age-29 season, he’s one of the younger starters on the market and would have a case for at least a three-year deal based on his performance track record, but it remains to be seen how much trepidation teams may have about his injury history.”

SP Taijuan Walker

After making 29 starts this season for the Mets, Walker is a free agent, and CBS Sports thinks he could fit in with the Royals, Rockies or Nationals.

RP David Robertson

Robertson, 37, would be a veteran presence in the Royals bullpen if he signs with Kansas City, as MLB Trade Rumors’ Tim Dierkes thinks could happen. He threw four scoreless innings in the World Series for the Phillies.

Bonus: Zack Greinke

The New York Post’s Jon Heyman wrote last month that Greinke was expected to return to the Royals for the 2023 season.