The Kansas City Royals are acquiring first baseman/outfielder Mark Canha from the Milwaukee Brewers, per Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman. Kansas City will send back a player to be named later or cash considerations.
Canha, 36, had signed with Milwaukee on a minor league deal this offseason. He played in 125 games in 2024 split between Detroit and San Francisco. He posted a roughly-average batting line, hitting .242/.344/.346 between the two stops, good for a 102 wRC+. Canha had a tough spring, however, batting just .087/.250/.261 in 28 Cactus League plate appearances. As a 10-year major league veteran, he had the right to opt out of his contract if he was not added to the major league roster.
There is good and bad in Canha’s offensive profile. His plate discipline is very good and he’s difficult to beat in the strike zone. His .344 OBP last season was his lowest mark since 2018, but would have ranked second on last year’s Royals team. Since the start of 2019 he has an 11.4% walk rate and he walked at an 11.0% clip in 2024. On the flip side, Canha’s already lackluster batted ball profile reached new lows in 2024. His hard-hit rate was just 37.4% and he hit the ball on the ground a career-high 49.3% of the time. He had a career-low .104 ISO last season and there’s little reason to expect his power production will improve in the spacious confines of Kauffman Stadium.
Canha usually played at first base or as the designated hitter for Detroit over the first half of the season with sporadic appearances in both outfield corners. After being traded to San Francisco at the deadline, he mostly started at first base or came into games as a pinch-hitter. His defensive metrics weren’t especially good at any position in 2024, but he wasn’t a total liability with the glove either.
Canha will need to be added to the 40-man roster prior to Opening Day. He will earn a base salary of $1.4 million.