REPORT: Royals Have NOT Outbid Padres For Eric Hosmer

As MLB Executives seemingly return to work following the holiday season, the talk of baseball has been the bidding war surrounding Eric Hosmer. Both the San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals are interested in signing the former All-Star.

For the Royals, Kansas City is looking to bring back one of the leaders and building points of their ball club. Hosmer came up through their system and the Royals are hoping he wishes to continue his legacy in KC.

For the Padres, San Diego is hoping Hosmer will sign and become the leader of their rebuild. While they’re still a year or so away from contention, their plan is to sign him now so that the power hitter is in place when they’re ready to compete.

New rumors have come out which detail exactly how much each team is willing to offer. Per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Royals are offering seven years/$147 million whereas the Padres have seven years/$140 on the table.

Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune went on to damper that report saying that San Diego has offered a deal for less than $140 million. However he also confirmed that the Padres have offered seven years.

While Lin’s report was originally looked at as a bad thing, perhaps it could be a blessing in disguise.

Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star recently came out with a report, stating that the Royals, have NOT made Hosmer a seven year/$147 million offer. In full, he writes:

"The Royals remain interested in signing Eric Hosmer but have not offered a contract worth $147 million over seven years, as stated in a report almost certainly pushed by people close to Hosmer in an attempt to kickstart action in a historically slow baseball offseason."

For now, it’s unkown what kind of contract offer the Royals have made, if they’ve made one at all. What is known is that the Padres have made Hosmer a seven year contract offer worth at least $120 million.

Mellinger goes on to write about how Hosmer isn’t a great fit for Kansas City, but the same could be argued for San Diego. Overall, Hosmer’s decision will likely come down to the best situation for the right amount of money.

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It’s unlikely that we see a bidding war go as high as almost $150 million from either the Royals or Padres. Both are small market teams and that deal would blow their records out of the water. It’s possible that the Royals are offering a similar seven year/$120 million deal, but nothing is for certain.

In the end, Mellinger’s report is just another twist in the Eric Hosmer saga. It appears as if the Padres should be considered the favorites, but as we’ve seen anything could change at any moment.

If the Royals don’t have a seven year/$147 million offer on the table, there’s a good chance Hosmer will sign with San Diego, bringing his power and leadership to the West Coast.

Next: Making Sense Of The Padres Ross and Young Signings