After 14 seasons within the majors, Starling Marte has signed with the Royals on a one-year contract for $2 million. The 37-year-old Marte brings a confirmed bat to an outfield that ought to have a look at least a little bit bit completely different than it has lately. Between one-year offers for Marte and Lane Thomas and trades for Isaac Collins and Kameron Misner, Kansas Metropolis has now added greater than a complete outfield to its roster, regardless that the group has two returning incumbents in Kyle Isbel and Jac Caglianone.
Marte’s profession is perhaps too straightforward to miss; after being a core member of three Pirates playoff groups throughout his first three full seasons, each he and his group light into obscurity till he was traded 3 times between the beginning of 2020 and the tip of July 2021. Then, for the previous 4 years, he was a task participant on a star-studded Mets roster. For that purpose, let’s ensure that we admire simply how nice he’s been. He has a profession wRC+ of 115, 361 stolen bases, and 35.9 WAR to his title. He’s had eight completely different seasons of at the least 3.0 WAR and earned a few Gold Gloves, a few All-Star nods, and even an MVP vote. You is likely to be shocked to study that JAWS ranks him forty sixth amongst left fielders. He’s not in Corridor of Fame territory, however he’s so much nearer than you would possibly suppose.
From 2021 to 2022, in his age-32 and -33 seasons, Marte ran a 133 wRC+ with nice baserunning numbers. His 8.7 WAR made him a top-30 place participant within the recreation, however accidents have been beginning to pile up. Previously 5 seasons, he’s injured his head, shoulder, lat, ribs, finger, quad, and knee, handled migraines, and wanted surgical procedure on each groins. He hasn’t reached 100 video games performed since 2022, and he was nearly solely a DH in 2025. He put up a wRC+ of 103 wRC+ in 2024 and 112 in 2025, however DRC+ is a little more skeptical, grading him between 88 and 94 in every of the final three seasons.
Whereas Marte’s common exit velocity dropped in 2025, his hard-hit fee was above his profession common, and he additionally put up one of the best Ninetieth-percentile exit velocity of his whole profession. Doing so whereas clearly hampered by accidents is a feat in itself, and if Marte is wholesome in Kansas Metropolis, he might be able to extra. Clearly, it’s fairly unlikely that Marte out of the blue will get and stays wholesome at 37. The Royals are making a low-risk gamble for upside right here. Presumably, they favored what they noticed in Marte’s medicals, and so they hope they will get one of the best he has to supply, which can effectively look one thing just like the 112 wRC+ he put up final yr.
The addition of Thomas is meant to boost the group’s flooring within the outfield. He’s coming off a disastrous 2025 season by which accidents restricted him to only 39 video games, and he put up a dismal 48 wRC+. Thomas’ outfield protection has graded out poorly for some time now, and at his finest, he runs a batting line proper across the league common. Nonetheless, he’s solely 30, and till his abortive 2025 season, he’d by no means had a wRC+ under 98 in a full season. He’s a protected guess to place up a bit over 1.0 WAR, and will he bounce again in a much bigger method, he could possibly be an above-average contributor. Extra importantly, Thomas possesses severe platoon splits, with a profession wRC+ of 135 wRC+ in opposition to lefties and 84 in opposition to righties. He looks as if a pure platoon accomplice for the lefty-hitting Isbel in middle.
Collins is the one addition who will soar into the lineup as an on a regular basis participant. The switch-hitter simply put up 2.6 WAR in a breakout rookie marketing campaign that earned him fourth place within the NL Rookie of the 12 months voting. He’ll presumably man left subject, with the Isbel-Thomas platoon in middle, and Caglianone returning in proper subject. Caglianone is raking and placing up jaw-dropping exit velocities throughout spring coaching, and our projections forecast him for a wRC+ round 110 regardless of his brutal debut marketing campaign in 2025. Marte can platoon at DH and function outfield depth. For what it’s value, Thomas and Misner are off to scorching begins this spring, too. Sadly, the projections nonetheless don’t suppose the Royals have an entire outfield.
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In 2025, the Royals bought a surprising -1.1 WAR from their outfield. They have been the one group in baseball under zero. This isn’t precisely a brand new growth both. From 2019 to 2025, the Royals have gotten a mixed 13.5 WAR from their outfield. The one groups which have been worse are – say it with me now – the White Sox and the Rockies.
In case your group’s outfield as an entire had simply put up damaging worth, you may additionally be inclined to usher in a bunch of recent gamers. The factor is, even with all of the additions, and with Caglianone projected to be 3.0 WAR higher than he was final yr (the gory math here’s a Depth Charts prediction of 1.4 WAR minus his precise -1.6 from 2025), the numbers nonetheless don’t add up. Put all of it collectively, and our Depth Charts count on the Royals to get 4.7 WAR from their outfield. That’s a whopping 5.8 WAR higher than it was in 2025 – the fifth-biggest projected enchancment of any outfield in baseball – nevertheless it’s nonetheless the fifth-worst projection within the recreation.
All of it is sensible. Caglianone batted .157 in his debut and performed dangerous protection. Isbel is a good defender, however he doesn’t hit. Thomas is (most likely) nonetheless a good hitter, however his protection and baserunning are not serving to him out. Collins was a shock final yr, and the projections see him as one thing like a one-win participant. The projections don’t love Marte both, each as a result of his manufacturing has declined and since he’s sufficiently old to recollect the lyrics of “Colours of the Wind.”
Nonetheless, you may see what the Royals are doing right here. Caglianone is younger and thrilling, and regardless of the ugly numbers, he ran a .321 xwOBA final yr, miles above his .239 wOBA. If he learns some plate self-discipline and breaks out, he’ll escape in an enormous method, and his ugly outfield protection is probably going to enhance regardless. If Collins can play at one thing approaching his 2025 stage, if Thomas can elevate the meager offensive bar in middle, if Marte can chip in some above-average hitting, this outfield could possibly be good. Like, truly good. None of that is assured. A few of it’s unlikely. Nevertheless it’s doable, and it creates much more margin for error than the Kansas Metropolis outfield has had in a very long time.