Kansas City Royals: An Early Look At Players The Royals Should Trade

Kelvin Herrera

Yes, Kelvin Herrera is the hottest name on the team. While it would seem like a surprise, the reason Herrera is number one on this list is simply due to his position. Being a bullpen arm, he could easily attract nearly every contending team. But being a bullpen arm that is completely dominating increases the Royals ability to ask for more.

On the year, Herrera has a 0.61 ERA over 16 games and 14.2 innings. The only run he allowed came on a home run, resulting in his first blown save of the year. One thing that is super impressive about Herrera this year is his command. Over his 14.2 innings, he has struck out 14 batters while walking zero.

Yes, zero walks. The only time he has allowed a baserunner in a game are the nine hits he has given up this year. That means of the 44 hitters Herrera has faced, 35 have not reached first base.

I don’t care who you are. That is impressive.

Over his 14.2 innings, Herrera has had eight save attempts, converting seven of them. As a closer, you would like to see that number higher, but the Royals have not exactly been a great team this year. The Royals have won 13 games this year, which means Herrera has had his hands in eight of those wins, or 62% of the wins.

Herrera would be a rental player for whatever team he is traded to, however, his $7.9 million contract is hard to pass by for the production he can bring. Especially with the Royals paying for close to half of that after the first half of the season.

Possible Teams

So where could Herrera end up? Teams like the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox could be teams interested in the Royals closer. Even though those two have a closer, Herrera made his mark while pitching in the 7th and 8th inning. Therefore, he could fall back into that role.

Some other teams that could come calling would be the Los Angeles Angels, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Milwaukee Brewers.

Any team can use bullpen help regardless of the current makeup of their bullpen. Especially one that is pitching at an elite level. It will be interesting to see how Herrera’s stock rises or drops as we get closer to the deadline.

Mike Moustakas

Mike Moustakas has picked up where he left off in 2017, which some would believe is a great thing because he is showing that last year is not a fluke

The two-time All-Star is trying to show the 29 teams that passed on him that they made a mistake, and he has been doing. This year he is hitting an impressive .301/.335/.569 with a .904 OPS. When you compared him to other third baseman in the league, Moustakas looks extremely impressive.

All Third Baseman:

• Batting Average (BA) – 4th place
• On Base Percentage (OBP) – 11th place
• Slugging Percentage (SLG) – 5th place
• On Base Plus Slugging (OPS) – 5th place
• Home Runs – 3rd place
• Doubles – 9th place
• Hits – 1st place

American League Third Baseman:

• Batting Average (BA) – 2nd place
• On Base Percentage (OBP) – 6th place
• Slugging Percentage (SLG) – 3rd place
• On Base Plus Slugging (OPS) – 3rd place
• Home Runs – 3rd place
• Doubles – 6th place
• Hits – 1st place

As you look at this, you can see that he is having quite a year. To prove this year and last year are not flukes, let’s look at how he has done the last two years. Since 2017, Moustakas has been hitting .278/.319/.531 and a .850 OPS.

While his OBP is not great because of his lack of walks, he is showing some power numbers. He is also a solid defender, which could help with his stock.

The biggest knock against Moustakas is going to be his position. Third base is typically not a position of need most teams go through when they are looking at the deadline. And the fact that he does not play another position besides DH, he is pretty limited to where he can go.

He is also competing against Manny Machado at the deadline. What could make him more appealing is the fact that Machado is making $16 million this year, while Moustakas is making just $5.5 million. Therefore, for a rental player, the cheaper contract might stand out more.

The other side of this is whether the Royals should trade Moustakas, or try and extend Moustakas. I can understand the side of keeping him because the Royals don’t really have a third baseman in the system and Moustakas is doing everything right.

However, Moustakas could bring back some decent prospects that can help with the rebuild. Therefore paying him $50 million-plus for four years does not make the most sense to me. Trade for your future third baseman, don’t spend big money on one that will be 30-years-old this year.

Possible Teams

Therefore, it kind of depends on how the contending teams are doing, and I’m operating under the notion that Moustakas is being traded until proven otherwise. Teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, and Astros might be interested in the third baseman.

New York Yankees

The Yankees would be an interesting spot because they already have a full roster. The only way I can see him landing there is if they move Brett Gardner to the bench/trade him and putting Giancarlo Stanton back to being a fielder. That would allow Moustakas to become the full-time DH because third base is occupied by Miguel Andujar.

Los Angeles Dodger

The Dodgers would make sense as long as they feel like their slow start can be turned around. As of right now, Logan Forsythe, Enrique Hernandez, and Kyle Farmer are their third baseman. Neither is hitting higher than .235 on the season. Yes, Justin Turner is the regular third baseman, but coming back from injury is always something to consider. If he isn’t ready by the deadline, I wouldn’t be surprised if Moustakas is on their radar.

Houston Astros

Which brings us to Houston. They currently have youngster Alex Bregman manning third, but he has had a less than impressive year. Although hitting .255/.372/.393 is not the worst, Moustakas is hitting significant better. So if they want to keep Bregman in the lineup, then let’s look at the DH spot. Currently, Evan Gattis is .197/.264/.278 on the year. Without going into detail, Moustakas would be a significant upgrade. If Houston wants more firepower as they try for a repeat, Moustakas can provide them that.

If he had the ability to play other positions his trading stock could be better, but unfortunately he is pigeonholed into one spot, two if you count the DH. Therefore, the Amerian League might be a more logical destination for Moustakas than a DH-less National League.

Jon Jay

Before you scoff at the idea of the Royals being able to trade Jon Jay for anything, hear me out.

First off, his $3 million contract is going to be very appealing to teams come July. When looking at players, if a team is already at their salary threshold, which typically is the case, spending big money on an incoming player or rental is not ideal. Therefore, the idea that half the salary will be gone by July means Jay would be worth just about $1.5 million. That isn’t half bad.

Secondly, he is a solid offensive player. No, he is not going to mash the ball. In fact, he has never been much of a power hitter. Over his career, he has just 33 home runs and over the last three years, he has just 47 doubles. However, he does get on base. This year, he has been hitting .280/.350/.315 and a 665 OPS. Since 2014 though, Jay has four years of hitting .280 or higher.

• 2014 – .303
• 2015 – .210
• 2016 – .291
• 2017 – .296
• 2018 – .280

To put it all together, Jay has been hitting .283 over the last five years and 486 games.

Many teams would be interested in a player who hits like this. So are we just going to assume that a team that is contending doesn’t want an everyday player who is hitting like this simply because they don’t hit for power?

Defensively, Jay has been better than an average defender. His UZR (a defensive grade) comes in at a 2.5 on the year and an average defender scores a 2 in relation to the UZR scale. And opposite to what we said about Moustakas, Jay can play all three outfield positions. Believe it or not, that does help with his trade value. His abilities to play all three positions open the possibility of any team needing any type of outfielder more appealing.

I believe Jay has some trade value. How much has yet to be determined. So who could be interested?

Possible Teams

Any team that needs an outfielder that is contending would want Jay. That could be the Yankees (again) or the Washington Nationals.

New York Yankees

Gardner is playing at a very low level right now. He is currently hitting .209/.339/.284 on the year. If the Yankees want to keep the lineup similar, leaving Stanton as the teams DH, swapping Gardner for Jay could benefit the team. Jay can play all spots in the outfield and with his ability to get on base could benefit the Yankees. Especially with all the firepower they have.

Washington Nationals

This one is kind of an interesting situation. Adam Eaton has recently gone down with an injury that required surgery, resulting in him being put on the 60-day DL. Adding Jay provides the Nationals to continue with the lineup they have, as well as help keep them contending. With Bryce Harper most likely leaving after this year, this might be the last chance with him to make a playoff push.

Those two teams that come to mind right now, but it could change depending on their farm system.

Final Thoughts

Obviously, these situations can change from week to week. The Royals could have injuries, the teams above could call up someone within the system and fill the holes, or the market could be totally different like it was this offseason.

I have no other reason to believe the above teams would be interested in the Royals players other than it makes sense to me that they would at this point. The crazy thing about baseball is that it can change from week to week, and sometimes we are surprised by the end results because it involved a team/player we never expected.

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Players come up in trade rumors all the time. The Royals will have a lot of this going on as the deadline gets closer. However, I fully anticipate Herrera, Moustakas, and Jay to be playing in different uniforms come October.

So what do you think Royals fans? Do you think Herrera, Moustakas, and Jay will be on the Royals at the end of the year? Am I missing any teams that could be interested? Let us know below!