SURPRISE, Ariz. ¨C The Royals made a late spring roster addition by acquiring outfielder Mark Canha from the Brewers for a player to be named or cash considerations on Friday.
The team made the trade official Saturday, and Canha was at the Royals complex in the morning and in the lineup hitting fifth and playing left field for their Cactus League finale against the Rangers at Surprise Stadium.
Canha, 36, was on a Minor League deal in Spring Training with Milwaukee and is 2-for-23 in Cactus League play with one homer, four strikeouts and four walks.
But as an Article XX(B) free agent, he had the opportunity to opt out on Saturday, which is five days before Opening Day and one of the uniform opt out clauses for XX(B) free agents in the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. A player triggering one of these out clauses gives his club 48 hours to either add him to the 40-man roster or let him become a free agent, so when Canha let the Brewers know that was coming, they were able to work out a trade with the Royals.
¡°I don¡¯t like uncertainty, so for me, it was a little bit tough, little stressful, not knowing what was going to happen in the upcoming days,¡± Canha said. ¡°But once it got done [Friday], kind of felt some relief. I feel good now, ready to be here and ready to start.¡±
The Royals are expected to add Canha to the 40-man roster this weekend and will need to make a corresponding move. According to a source, Canha will make $1.4 million with performance bonuses in 2025 once he¡¯s in the big leagues.
¡°It¡¯s a professional at-bat,¡± general manager J.J. Picollo said. ¡°You look at his track record over the years, he¡¯s always been good against lefties. He gets on base. But it¡¯s more the type of at-bat. I think we saw firsthand last year when you get some guys that have a lot of experience in the league, they go about their at-bats differently. And we thought we needed that. We thought we needed it from the right-handed side who could go out to the outfield.
¡°There were very few guys we thought might become available, but he was one of them. And [we're] glad he did.¡±
Canha slashed .242/.344/.346 with seven homers and 42 RBIs across 125 games between Detroit and San Francisco last season. A right-handed hitter who can play the corner outfield and first base, Canha will enter the 2025 season as a bench player for the Royals, who have had several options in camp fighting for a bench spot but no clear answers with Opening Day next week.
Canha has spent parts of 10 seasons in the Majors playing for five teams and has hit 120 career home runs with a .349 career on-base percentage, with more gap-to-gap doubles power than home run power. He¡¯s had neutral splits but has a .763 career OPS against southpaws. Last year, Canha slashed .275/.380/.395 against lefties.
And as Spring Training progressed, the Royals thought an offensive hole of theirs would be a right-handed bat off the bench who could come in against lefties. Canha could be a backup left fielder and first baseman on the days he plays or comes in late in the game.
Plus, Canha¡¯s experience is something the Royals felt they needed, not only for the clubhouse but also finding someone who can handle late-inning pinch-hit opportunities.
¡°He's a proven Major League hitter, very good against lefties, a really quality at-bat and a tough out,¡± manager Matt Quatraro said. ¡°That¡¯s a big part of winning baseball. ¡ For someone who¡¯s done that before, not to be fazed by the moment, and be able to deal with the ups and downs in that kind of role [is important].¡±
¡°Anybody that comes in and has a great at-bat at the end of the game, it¡¯s something that gets the boys going and gets everybody excited,¡± Canha added. ¡°It¡¯s something that¡¯s really hard to do. But it¡¯s definitely kind of an attitude, and if you can do that on a regular basis, I think it has a lot of value in multiple ways.
¡°Pinch-hitting can be a little fickle, but I¡¯ve had really good stretches pinch-hitting. Whatever it looks like, however I can help, I just want to be that guy who comes in and does a good job.¡±
With Canha, the Royals will have two bench spots now accounted for along with backup catcher Freddy Fermin. Outfielder Dairon Blanco is viewed as a heavy favorite for a spot because of his pinch-running role.
The last spot could go any number of ways. Speedy outfielders Joey Wiemer, a right-hander, and Drew Waters, a switch-hitter, are in the running. Infielder/outfielder Tyler Tolbert could fill Blanco¡¯s role if Blanco isn¡¯t 100% after dealing with Achilles tendon soreness earlier this spring. Utility players Cavan Biggio and Harold Castro -- both left-handed -- as well as right-handed Nick Loftin have all shown off their versatility and ability to get on base this spring. Outfielder Nelson Velázquez and first baseman/outfielder Nick Pratto are both out of Minor League options, but Canha¡¯s presence likely blocks both of them.
¡°We¡¯ve got to decide if we want a speed player, another outfielder, a left-handed bat,¡± Picollo said. ¡°We still have to make that decision. There are arguments both ways for what is best. It¡¯s just trying to anticipate what¡¯s going to come up the most in game situations.¡±