$1.4 Million Veteran Has Been Royals' 'Most Impactful' Addition, MLB Writer Declares

The Kansas City Royals didn't make the splashiest moves this offseason, but one they made right before Opening Day sure looks to be paying off.

Less than a week before Opening Day, the Royals acquired journeyman outfielder Mark Canha from the Milwaukee Brewers for a player to be named later. Canha had previously signed a minor-league deal with Milwaukee in spring training, and is making only $1.4 million on the Royals this season.

Canha's career track record would have suggested that he'd get better opportunities, but he was coming off a down year and he's 36, so in a year where the market was tough for older free agents, he didn't get the benefit of the doubt.

The Royals, though, have been glad to have him. He's putting up quality at-bats game after game, and their record when he's been in the lineup is somewhat shocking.

On Tuesday, The Athletic named every team's "most impactful" in-season moves in their power rankings article, and writer Levi Weaver identified the Royals activating Canha from the injured list as their signature addition.

"The Royals were 4-3 with Canha in the lineup before he went on the IL," Weaver wrote. "By the time he got back, they were 8-14 and utterly languishing near the bottom of the AL Central standings. Then on April 19, Canha returned, and lo and behold: The Royals are now 20-16.

"Canha has been worth 0.0 bWAR for the season in 15 games played. I don’t fully understand how WAR is calculated, but I think I have some pretty convincing circumstantial evidence here (the best kind) to indicate that the calculations are wrong. Being a good hitter and a better luck charm has to be worth something."

The Royals are 11-5 when Canha plays, making them 10-11 when he doesn't. He has a .303/.385/.364 slash line, good for a 115 OPS+. He was never much of a power guy, even in his prime, but he's always been an on-base machine, and that's something the Royals have been lacking in a major way.

Though Canha's presence shouldn't preclude the Royals from bringing in more outfield help at the trade deadline, he's undoubtedly been a big plus.

More MLB: Royals Sound Off On White Sox's Dropped Pop-Up That Handed Victory To KC