Jonny Gomes shouldn’t sing “we’ll never be Royals”

With the Boston Red Sox nine games under .500 entering the All-Star break, speculation is rampant the team will make some game-changing moves in the next two weeks. One of the first rumors of substance, however, has the Kansas City Royals shopping for Jonny Gomes to help fill a right field void.

Gomes played his role for the 2013 world champion Red Sox and made GM Ben Cherington look pretty smart in the process. In the first season of a two-year, $10 million pact, Gomes got on base 34.4 percent of the time, clocked 13 homers and drove in 52 runs in part-time duty. His reputation as a “clubhouse guy” was well-founded.

This season, however, returns haven’t been as great, and he’s made more headlines for his patriotic fashion statements…

…than his hitting. His OBP is down slightly, K’s up, and power not as impressive (five home runs). However, the Royals might be interested in his slash line against lefties: .306/.403/.429.

The Red Sox are already experiencing a youth movement in 2014, and with veteran Shane Victorino returning to a crowded outfield, manager John Farrell will be hard-pressed to find at-bats for youngsters Mookie Betts and Brock Holt unless they come at the expense of Jackie Bradley, who has hit better of late while playing a stellar center field. Moving Gomes eliminates some of the positional flotsam, trims some money from the payroll, and could yield a minor asset in return.