Royals Called Landing Spot For Ex-Dodgers Silver Slugger, Triples Leader

Could the Kansas City Royals turn to a two-time National League triples leader and former Silver Slugger to provide some pop in their lineup?

Kansas City’s lack of plate production coming from their outfielders has already been well-documented in 2025, and the season has barely begun.

You can expect the Royals to be connected to any available outfielders on the trade market between now and the end of July, particularly guys that can mash.

General manager J.J. Picollo will also be monitoring the free agent market for a hard-hitting outfielder, which is what makes a new piece from Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller pertinent.

On Tuesday, Miller linked Kansas City to a 37-year-old free agent who, in addition to the aforementioned triples leader and Silver Slugger distinctions, is also a former Gold Glover.

“Let's first address the elephant in the room when it comes to thinking about signing David Peralta: He's virtually unplayable against left-handed pitchers,” Miller wrote.

“In 135 plate appearances against southpaws dating back to 2022, he has slugged .258 with one home run. Against righties, however, he's been solid, slugging .420 with 26 home runs. For his career, he has an OPS 151 points higher against righties than he does lefties.”

“Platoons exist for a reason. Some players like Randal Grichuk have opposite splits, annihilating left-handed pitching while hitting just OK against right-handers. Pairing Peralta with one of those players can take a mediocre LF/RF/DH situation and turn it into a serious strength—like the Diamondbacks did with Grichuk and Joc Pederson in 2024.”

“Peralta is notably one of the older options out there, turning 38 in a few months. He still hit pretty well last season, though, and he can still add value on defense as a corner outfielder who won a Gold Glove in 2019.”

“If the Padres decide to throw in the towel on Jason Heyward and bring back an outfielder it had last season, Peralta could be the perfect replacement. But we'll see if he hasn't already been scooped up by one of the others with even bleaker left-field situations.”

“Candidates to Sign Him: Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves.”

Peralta is a career .278/.335/.415 hitter with 1,166 hits, 125 home runs, and 569 RBI to his name. In 2024, Peralta slashed .267/.335/.415 with eight home runs and 28 RBI for the San Diego Padres.

He’s also played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tampa Bay Rays, and Los Angeles Dodgers in his career.

Are the Royals next?

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