KC Royals Trades: 3 potential Scott Barlow deals

Seattle might benefit from a second trade this season with the KC Royals.

The Mariners and Royals have made one trade already this season, the deal that sent Carlos Santana to Seattle. The M’s have climbed back into the AL playoff picture thanks to eight straight victories and a decent (16-13) June.

But their bullpen could use more depth and their rotation a veteran presence. This deal might work for Seattle and Kansas City:

Seattle fills both its needs by acquiring Barlow and Keller. By packaging them together, KC acquires the Mariners’ seventh (Rodriguez), 11th (Perez) and 21st (Miller) best prospects per MLB Pipeline. 

Rodriguez, 24, is probably a couple of seasons away from the majors. He’s struggled since his promotion to High-A last season, where he posted a .571 OPS in seven games, followed up by a .693 in his first 70 games there this season. But he slashed .295/.383/.484 in 93 games in Low-A last year.

At 20, Perez is even further away from the majors. His ability to hit for average has been poor since his promotion to Low-A—he’s hitting just .197 this season—but, as his current 19.7 BB% suggests, his approach at the plate is excellent. He slashed .308/.455/.378 between Rookie ball and Low-A in 2021.

Miller gives KC more pitching depth and would likely be the fastest of these new Royals to reach Kansas City. He’s 3-3 with a 3.24 ERA and 11.7 SO9 in High-A this season.

The Royals should consider capitalizing on Scott Barlow’s trade value this summer.