The Royals signed a one-year contract with free agent Jarrod Dyson, according to several reports. Jon Heyman reports he will earn $ 1.5 million.
Dyson, 36, spent the first seven years of his career with the Royals, reaching 0.260 / 0.325 / 0.353 from 2010 to 2016. He was a prolific base thief, stealing 176 bases with an 85 percent success rate in your days with royalty. He was also a fantastic defender, worth 6.1 dWAR, according to Baseball-Reference.
Dyson was traded to the Mariners in 2017 by pitcher Nate Karns, and has spent the past three seasons jumping from the Diamondbacks to the Pirates and White Sox. He appeared in 32 games last year, split between Pittsburgh and Chicago, and hit .180 / .231 / .180 with six steals in six attempts.
Dyson still seems to have very good speed – he stole 30 bases in 34 attempts in 2019 with Arizona. He will play a reserve role, able to play all three field positions. This probably means that newcomer Nick Heath will not join the club, as he shares the same skill set, and can also make it difficult for Edward Olivares to join the club. The Royals said recently that it prefers younger players to go to the minor leagues to get regular strikes, rather than sitting on the bench at the level of the major league. Hiring Dyson allows them to have a veteran in a bank role and send their young players to minors.
The Royals appear to be holding an informal meeting, having already rehired old friends like Ervin Santana and Wade Davis this winter, after having already brought Greg Holland back last year. At the very least, bringing Dyson back will help the Royals lead the league in nostalgia.
