Who will play third base for the Royals in 2023?

Royals have a problem at third base. Bobby Witt Jr. played there last year, but the team wants him to play at shortstop next year.

Hunter Dozier is not a good third baseman. He ranks 52nd among players who have played at least 1,500 innings at third base. Dozer is paid $17 million over the next two seasons.

Nathan Eaton came up for 44 games in the second half and played 15 of them at third base. His defensive metrics weren't great, but he has some of the best arm strength in baseball. He's competent with the bat, and he's been labeled a "tweener" but needs to hit to bust that label.

Adalberto Mondesi has been signed to a $3.045 million contract for next year. He has played just 50 games over the last two seasons. With Witt at shortstop, Mondesi could slide over to third base.

Brian Anderson was non-tendered by the Marlins last month. He was a 2.9 fWAR player in 2018, but his WAR has gone down every year since. Last year he hit .222/.311/.346 for a career-low 90 wRC+.

Brandon Drury won the Silver Slugger Award last season. He hit .263/.332/.492 with 28 home runs and won a starting job. The Royals could offer him more years and a regular starting spot.

Evan Longoria is 37 and hasn't played as many as 100 games in a season since 2019. Long is a three-time All-Star and has a good batting line of .252/.333/.466. He is attracting attention from several teams.

Edwin Rios has been benched by the Dodgers for the last three seasons. He hit .219/.299/.492 with 20 home runs in 291 plate appearances in parts of four seasons, but he has good power. The Royals have a history of picking up players who were blocked in other organizations and giving them a chance.

Justin Turner is up there in age, but is still productive. He hit .278/.350/.438 last year, although his power fell. Turner has always been one of the best hitters in the league at putting the ball in play.

Cavan Biggio is the son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio. Cavan has regressed in his last two seasons hitting .213/.312/.353 with 13 home runs and 163 strikeouts. He has versatility to play everywhere on the diamond and his defense seems passable at third.

Jake Burger was a first-round pick by the White Sox in 2010. He has hit .252/.308/.461 with nine home runs in 225 plate appearances in two seasons. Burger is a subpar defender and is prone to strikeouts.

Bobby Dalbec is available in trades. He hit 25 home runs in 2021 but he's hit just 12 this year. DalBec has been playing first base for Boston because Rafael Devers is at third.

Mike Moustakas is a free agent. The Reds owe him $18 million next year plus a $4 million buyout. He hit .212/.289/.356 over the last two seasons.

Rays traded Austin Meadows to Tigers for utility player Isaac Paredes. Paringes hit 20 home runs in 381 plate appearances this season. He could play third base for the Royals in 2023.

Emmanuel Rivera will play third base for the Royals in 2023. He was traded away by the Kansas City Royals last summer for pitcher Luke Weaver. Rivera hit .233/.292/.409 with 12 home runs in 359 plate appearances in his rookie season.