KC Royals: Nationals Reportedly Interested In Closer Kelvin Herrera

The Washington Nationals and the KC Royals are two teams that are heading in absolute opposite directions. Could they match up for a trade?

After a terrible road trip in which they didn’t win one game and a gut-punching loss to the Minnesota Twins Friday night, the KC Royals find themselves in the basement of the American League with a minuscule 7-15 record. They are currently one of the coldest teams in baseball.

The Washington Nationals on the other hand, are on fire. They are coming off a serious in which they scored 46 runs against the Colorado Rockies. They are one of the hottest teams in baseball.

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There could one flaw about the Nationals roster though. The bullpen. Like the KC Royals, the Nationals bullpen has struggled at times this year. Manager Dusty Baker has already cycled through two closers. New acquisition Joe Blanton is off to a forgettable start. It lacks a shutdown arm. Etc.

The front office might turn to external help come this July. One player they already reportedly have their eye on is Kelvin Herrera. 

Herrera, working on his first year as the full-time closer for the Royals, has been pretty useless this year so far. But this has nothing to say about his performance. He’s been pretty darn exceptional. It’s just he’s pitching on a team that hasn’t had the need to use him. In other words, a closer on a bad team is pretty useless.

The Royals and Nationals have had their discussions about a trade involving a bullpen piece in the past. Last year, the Nationals were apparently interested in all-star reliever Wade Davis.

Possibilities

The Nationals have some pieces that could intrigue the Royals too.

One prospect that will be off-limits will be OF Victor Robles, the #10 prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB.com. 

The following names could be parts of a hypothetical  Kelvin Herrera trade.

• RHP Erick Fedde, Nationals #2 Prospect, MLB #75 Prospect
• SS Carter Kieboom, Nationals #3 Prospect
• OF Andrew Stevenson, Nationals #5 Prospect
• RHP Austin Voth, Nationals #6 Prospect
• OF Juan Soto, Nationals #12 Prospect

"Kennedy solid but late miscues cost KC Royals in the opener against Minnesota"

Trading Herrera along with the upcoming free agents some time this summer wouldn’t be a bad idea.  With a year and a half of control, you could net some very helpful pieces for the future.