Royals acquire Jonny Gomes

The Kansas City Royals acquired outfielder Jonny Gomes from the Atlanta Braves, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported. 

The Braves sent cash along with Gomes and received minor league infielder Luis Valenzuela to complete the deal, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported. 

Gomes is well-respected as a good clubhouse veteran and an extremely good hitter against left-handed pitching. As the Royals are almost all but American League Central champions, Gomes is surely a move for the postseason, as he is a player who could be a valuable addition both on- and off-the-field. 

One other benefit to acquiring Gomes is that he comes with postseason experience. While the Royals, fresh off their AL Championship run, do have that, Gomes is a World Series champion (2013 Red Sox) and has played in the postseason in four different years.

The 34-year-old Gomes is hitting just .223/.327/.368 (93 OPS+) this year, but he is hitting for an .878 OPS against left-handers. Gomes was signed to a one-year, $4 million deal this offseason with a vesting option for 2016.

The Royals are continuing to put finishing touches on their roster for the rest of the season and into the postseason and Gomes represents a possible addition that could go a long way, even if it isn't on the stat sheet. 

--Devan Fink

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