The KC Royals and Dayton Moore are notorious for avoiding arbitration hearings with their players. It’s one of the blessings of being in a small market: Teams tend to care a bit more about their players, and players tend to care a bit more about their team. With Jorge Soler still without a contract extension, though, something’s got to give.
Soler was terrific in 2019. Playing in every single game during the regular season, the Cuban-born designated hitter/outfielder posted a .265/.354/.569 line with a league-leading 48 home runs and 117 RBIs. He also led the league in strikeouts with 178, but his ability to draw walks offset that problem by quite a bit.