KC Royals Trades: 3 potential Scott Barlow deals

The KC Royals are officially open for business. The team recently traded Carlos Santana and signs point to a more aggressive trade deadline approach than fans have seen in recent years. Indeed, the Royals and Yankees have reportedly been in talks about a potential Andrew Benintendi trade.

Although Kansas City’s farm system has supplemented the major league roster with some promising young talent, the time has come to pull the trigger on a couple of trades that could change the direction of the franchise.

A possible change of approach is a promising development for KC Royals fans.

Kansas City was able to pull such triggers in the years before its 2015 championship campaign with the Zack Greinke and James Shields trades. If the Royals can capitalize on their valuable trade assets now, they could hope to compete as early as next season.

Otherwise, they risk losing a contract year player like Benintendi to free agency without reaping any talent in return, so it’s logically better to trade such a player before the trade deadline.

As J.J. Picollo gears up for the deadline—his first as Kansas City’s general manager since being promoted to the position last September—he discussed his approach on 610Sports Radio:

“I tend to be a little bit more, along with other people in our office, a little bit more aggressive,” he said. “You like to keep in communication with other teams. It’s just good to know the landscape of what teams are thinking, where they want to go, and for them to know what we’re thinking. So we try to keep an open dialogue with several teams.”

If it happens, this potential change in approach should be a welcome sight to Kansas City fans desperate to see the team in contention. Another Royal—Scott Barlow—is under contract for much longer than Benintendi and could carry a surprising amount of value into this year’s trade deadline.

Trading reliever Scott Barlow could net the KC Royals some good prospects.

The trade deadline market for relievers has been growing in recent years. Teams have been willing to pay up for effective relief arms to lock down games down the stretch and into the postseason.

In Scott Barlow, the Royals have one of the best relievers in the game—he’s 3-2 with 13 saves and a 2.33 ERA in 35 games this season and, in 2021, ranked high among American League relievers:

• 5th in fWAR (2.1)
• 10th in ERA (2.42)
• 7th in FIP (2.63)
• 18th in SO9 (11.02)
• 23rd in Wins (5)

Barlow also comes with two years of club control. He isn’t set to hit free agency until after the 2024 season.

Deals from last season’s deadline trades provide an idea of what Barlow’s value might be this year. For example, the White Sox acquired Craig Kimbrel from the Cubs for Nick Madrigal and Cody Heuer, who both went to the Cubs with multiple years of control.

The Braves acquired reliever Richard Rodriguez from Pittsburgh for Bryse Wilson and Ricky DeVito. Rodriguez had a 2.82 ERA and two additional years of club control. Wilson didn’t rank on any top prospect lists but headed to the Pirates as a young (23) former fourth-round draft pick.

The Brewers got reliever John Curtiss from the Marlins for Payton Henry. Curtiss was a year younger and had more club control (four years) than Barlow now. Curtiss owned a 2.22 ERA over 65 innings and Henry was slashing .297/.372/.390 between Double-A and Triple-A.

So, last year’s deadline deals suggest relievers can, and do, bring notable returns.

A National League contender could benefit from trading with the KC Royals.

With injuries riddling their bullpen, the Dodgers should be in the market for relievers. And they have talent to give—LA’s farm system is well-rounded and includes six of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects.

However, it’s hard to imagine the Royals acquiring any of those six without packaging Barlow, who the Dodgers drafted and signed in 2011, with another impressive player. But they could go for quantity over quality in a trade with the Dodgers:

Quality does exist here, even if it doesn’t include a Top 100 prospect. Righthander Knack, 24, was a second-round pick of the Dodgers in 2020 and is 2-5 with a 4.07 ERA and 12.6 SO9 in 10 Double-A starts this season.

Jackson is LA’s No. 11 Pipeline prospect. He appeared in three games for the Dodgers last season and gave up three runs in 11.2 innings (2.31 ERA). At 26, he should be close to being ready to face big league bats; although he’s struggling in Triple-A this season (0-6, 6.31 ERA in 13 starts), the talent is definitely there.

Outman was a seventh-round draft pick in 2017. He’s 25 and should be ready for major league action. MLB Pipeline says he’s “One of the best athletes in the system…” and “…provides plus defense at any of the three outfield spots.” He’s slashing .283/.384/.526 with 17 home runs across Double-A and Triple-A.

The Rays’ tough division makes them a good trade partner for the KC Royals.

The Rays, who play in the rugged American League East, make a lot of sense as a trade partner in a Barlow deal. They’re currently in third place, one of three present American League Wild Cards, and would certainly like to widen the gap between themselves and their competitors.

Their bullpen needs improvement—it ranks 25th in SO9 and 23rd in FIP and fWAR. The Rays’ prospect depth makes them a good match for the Royals.

How about this mutually-beneficial deal?

Here, KC fills two positions suffering from limited organizational depth. We recently analyzed Shenton as an acquisition in a potential deal involving Michael A. Taylor; nothing has changed that assessment. He’s slashing .236/.338/.415 for Double-A Montgomery but is currently sidelined with a hip issue.

Misner is a familiar name to the Royals because they drafted him in the 33rd round of the 2016 draft. He chose to attend the University of Missouri and was drafted by the Marlins in the first round in 2019.

Per MLB Pipeline, Misner “…has the range to be a solid defender in center field, but mixed reviews from scouts on his work there leave him best profiled as a corner outfielder.” If the Royals’ advanced hitting development team can improve his approach, he could be a fantastic outfield addition.

Misner is hitting just .218 in Double-A but has a robust .376 OBP and 18.4 BB%; he has, however, struggled with a 33.9 K%.