Kansas City Royals: It’s Never Too Early For Trade Talk

We take a look at the standings on May 18th and see the Kansas City Royals are not in last place and only 7.5 games out of first place in the division. Hey, that’s not too bad.

Then a quick glance over the rest of a very very weak American League Central Division where no team is over 500. You realize that the Kansas City Royals would be at least tied for last and 14 games out, in every other American League Division.

It’s about time for us to throw in the white towel on the season, although I don’t want to. I can be overly optimistic at times. The more I hear Ned’s interviews, it sounds like he thinks the same thing (just my opinion).

Here we go with some possible trade candidates and potential trade partners. My process for this is as follows-

1. The player has to be valuable enough to warrant a trade. (I will not be including Jason Hammel and his 0-5 record and 6.28 ERA in this discussion)
2. The trade partner must at least have some need for the player at his position. (Mike Moustakas will not be going to the Colorado Rockies, as they have Nolan Arenado)
3. Lastly, to see what we can get in return for our top Royals, I’ll look at “in season” trades in either 2016 or 2017, as they should give us a decent idea of what we could expect in return. (No team is giving a top 5 MLB prospect for half a season of Moustakas, sorry).

The Royals trade candidates, in order of most likely to be traded.

Kelvin Herrera

Most teams would love to have an arm in the bullpen like Kelvin Herrera. sporting a 1.08 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 16.2 innings, and only 1 blown save. I hate to see him leave as he’s arguably been the most talented guy in the Royals bullpen since 2012. Being the last year of his deal, we have to move Herrera and the good news is there should be plenty of suitors.

As you look at bullpen ERA’s across baseball you will find many American League Central teams near the bottom of the list including the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians. I don’t see us trading within the division but hey who knows.

Relief pitching trade comparisons 2017

• 2017 Twins trade closer Brandon Kintzler to Nationals for Tyler Watson and International Pool Money. Worth noting Kintzler had 28 saves prior to the trade and Watson was the 19th ranked player in the Twins organization at the start of 2017.
• 2017 Mets trade Addison Reed to the Red Sox for a trio of pitchers in Steve Nogosek, Gerson Bautista, and Jamie Callahan. None of the three appeared in the Top-30 for the Red Sox in 2017. Prior to the start of 2018, all three fell between numbers 23 and 29 in the Mets minor league system.
• 2017 Marlins trade closer A.J. Ramos to the Mets for Merandy Gonzalez and Ricardo Cespedes. They were ranked 9th and 22nd at the time of the trade.

Suitors

These are the teams I feel most need bullpen help. I think Herrera is more valuable than the three pitchers listed above. With that being said, I think we can get one to two prospects in the range of 5th to 20th within that organization.

• Colorado Rockies: Behind Wade Davis, there’s not a lot to be desired.
• Atlanta Braves: The Braves are on fire to start 2018 and if they want a shot at the division title they will need more pitching.
• Boston Red Sox: You look at the Red Sox depth chart and see Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly. So why would they need any help? As Royals fan’s know, you have to have fire throwers throughout your bullpen to win a World Series. A 7-8-9 of Kelly, Herrera, and Kimbrel has the potential to be the best in baseball.

2018 Scenarios

• The Royals trade Hererra to the Rockies for pitcher Riley Pint (local St. Thomas Aquinas Product) and infielder Garrett Hampson.
• The Royals trade Hererra to the Braves for starting pitcher Mike Soroka. 
• The Royals trade Hererra to the Red Sox for starting pitcher Tanner Houck (drafted out of the University of Missouri) and pitcher Ben Taylor.

Whit Merrifield

Much like Herrera, almost every team could use a guy like Whit Merrifield. He can play any position on the diamond. I bet if you ask him, he’d say he could even catch. Since he could be traded to nearly any team, I’m only going to focus on one team who has a very big need at second base, the Seattle Mariners.

Past Infielder trade comparisons-

• 2017 Rays trade Infielder Tim Beckham to the Orioles for pitcher Tobias Myers. Myers came into this year as the Rays 15th ranked prospect.
• 2016 Rays trade Utility man Steve Pearce to the Orioles for catcher Jonah Heim.

For the best comparison, we probably need to go back to 2015 and a trade we are all too familiar with. Ben Zobrist going from the A’s to the Royals for Sean Manaea and Aaron Brooks. Zobrist was a mere rental and brought back an ace in Manaea. Even though Merrifield is more than just a rental, I don’t see us getting a #1 pitching prospect for him.

2018 Scenario

• Royals trade Merrifield to the Mariners for relief pitcher Art Warren and outfielder Anthony Jimenez. 

Final Thoughts

Royals fans I only listed three guys here. Who else do you think has trade potential? All three of them could go in the same trade as well. It all depends on the market, who wants who, and what kind of market this year’s deadline will be like. Hopefully, it is nothing like the offseason and last years trade deadline.

Those markets were very weak for teams looking to trade players.

I also failed to mention guys like Tim Hill and Jakob Junis. Mostly because I like their upside and hope the Royals do not trade them. However, they are having great seasons and could fit into any clubhouse without issue.

Related Story: The Improvement of the Bullpen

If the Royals were smart, they would be listening to trade offers for just about every player on the team. Some players will require a trade the Royals can’t refuse in order for them to no longer be in Kansas City. Others should be easier to get rid of than others.

So what do you think Royals fans? Am I forgetting anything? Do you agree with the possible trade scenarios? Let’s hear your trade scenarios and opinions below!