Kansas City Royals Rumors: Alex Rios drawing Royals' interest

The Kansas City Royals are considering Rangers right fielder Alex Rios as a possible acquisition to fix their corner outfield issues, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman.

Though Alex Gordon has given the Royals a reliable hitter and fielder in left field, the opposite side of the outfield hasn't been quite as successful. Nori Aoki has thus far failed to replicate the success he found in Milwaukee, including a .150/.292/.200 line since coming off the disabled list on June 11.

As Heyman noted, the Royals in general have struggled offensively, and Rios' bat might prove to be a catalyst for a Kansas City lineup that ranks near the bottom of the league in many offensive categories.

In 2014, Rios is hitting .302/.330/.435 with a 110 OPS+. His numbers are undoubtedly an upgrade over the Royals' current options at the corners, but the price it would take to acquire Rios—nevermind his $12.5 million salary and $13.5 million option next season—might not be worth his actual value.

Indeed, Rios' pretty batting average masks some of his other warning signs, like his -1.0 dWAR, league-leading 16 GIDPs, overall unspectacular 0.4 overall WAR and his power outage this year: four homers in 391 plate appearances.

But Royals general manager Dayton Moore told FOX Sports' Jon Morosi that he isn't giving up on his team, despite the Royals' mediocre record and seven-game deficit in the AL Central. Rios might be the best corner outfield bat available, but in terms of value, there are better options. Heyman names Marlon Byrd, Domonic Brown, Josh Willingham and Carlos Quentin as other available corner outfielders, among others.