Royals Rumors: KC Talking Wade Davis/Lorenzo Cain Deal With Cards

The Royals are supposedly considering a Wade Davis/Lorenzo Cain trade with the St. Louis Cardinals in return for Kolten Wong plus a package of prospects.

This Kansas City Royals rumor comes from @FanRagSports writer John Perrotto, who also worked for Baseball Prospectus and Baseball America:

This tweet was followed by a number of false reports about a Davis/Cain deal that cited a fake Ken Rosenthal Twitter account:

If Perrotto’s report (the first tweet) is accurate, then the KC Royals might not be all that thrilled with any of their current candidates for the second base job (Whit Merrifield, Christian Colon, and Cheslor Cuthbert). Why else would Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore want Kolten Wong in the deal?

The 26-year-old Wong is a decent second baseman, putting up 2.1 bWAR, 2.2 bWAR, and 1.5 bWAR seasons his last three full years with the Cardinals. However, Wong lost his starting job in St. Louis to Jedd Gyorko—who slammed 30 HRs for the Redbirds in 2016.

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What Happens To KC’s Middle Infieders If They Acquire Wong?

I presume Merrifield would become a top bench player if Moore brings in Wong. But, what happens to Christian Colon and Cheslor Chuthbert? I suppose Cuthbert, who is out of minor-league options, would become part of the designated hitter mix. However, it would look like the end of the line for utility infielder Christian Colon in a Royals uniform.

We can’t really evaluate such a potential trade without more information. But, I would imagine it would have to include at least one of the Cardinals top two starting pitching prospects in Alex Reyes and Luke Weaver. To be honest, I wouldn’t move both Cain and Davis unless Reyes were part of the deal. MLB.com rated him the #7 prospect in MLB, and no. 1 in the Cardinals system.

What Would It Take To Pry Both Cain And Davis From KC?

Overall, I think it would take at least one prime pitching prospect and one major-league ready bat to land BOTH Lorenzo Cain and Wade Davis. The problem for the Cardinals is they don’t have such a player in their system. Twenty-two year-old outfielder Harrison Bader comes the closest, but he hit a mere .231/.298/.354 after getting called up to AAA Memphis for 147 at bats.

On the other hand, Bader has legitimate five-tool potential. MLB.com rates him as the #82 prospect in MLB for 2017.

Of course, dealing Cain and Davis would clear $21 million in salary. That would allow Moore to also add some help in free-agency.

Next: Royals Rumors: KC Flooded With Trade Inquiries At Winter Meetings

If nothing else, this rumor seems to indicate that the Kansas City Royals are ready to deal at the Winter Meetings. I’m not sure I would approve of such a trade, but it would certainly be the kind of bold move that Dayton Moore used to propel his team to the 2015 World Series title.