KC Royals pull last-minute MLB Trade Deadline stunner

Remember the stunner the KC Royals announced just before the All-Star Break, when they revealed 10 unvaccinated players couldn’t make the club’s trip to Toronto because Canada denies entry to the unvaccinated?

Remember that one of those players was Whit Merrifield?

Well, Kansas City stunned baseball a bit again just before the MLB Trade Deadline expired late Tuesday afternoon, not because of who they traded, but who they traded him to.

They dealt Merrifield to Toronto.

How Royals fans react remains to be seen, but it won’t take long to find out. After all, and as reported at the time by SI.com’s Stephanie Apstein, Merrifield suggested shortly after the Royals announced losing 10 players for the Toronto trip that he’d consider vaccinating if he ended up playing for a contender:

“The only reason that I would think about getting [the vaccine] at this point is to go to Canada. That might change down the road. Something happens and I happen to get on a team that has a chance to go play in Canada in the postseason, maybe that changes. But as we sit here right now, I’m comfortable with my decision.”

Royals fans are bound to have a long memory on this one. Now, there isn’t a chance he’ll play in Toronto—it’s a certainty. Merrifield must have guaranteed the Blue Jays that he’ll vaccinate, or already has. There is presumably no other way Toronto would have done the deal … unless, of course, the Canadian government grants him an exception, and that isn’t likely.

So, expect mixed fan reaction, especially because Merrifield ends his KC tenure with a .286 average, led the majors in hits twice and stolen baes once, and played anywhere managers Ned Yost and Mike Matheny needed him.

The KC Royals got 2 players for Whit Merrifield and traded Cam Gallagher.

In return for Merrifield, Kansas City get minor leaguers Samad Taylor, who MLB Pipeline ranked as Toronto’s 16th best prospect before the trade, and Max Castillo. Taylor has played three infield positions and every one in the outfield and was hitting .258 with nine home runs and 45 RBIs in 70 games for Triple-A Buffalo. Castillo, a righthander who starts but sometimes relieves, was a combined 5-1 with a 1.92 ERA at Double-A and Triple-A.

Another late afternoon trade (Twitter link) sent veteran backup catcher Cam Gallagher to San Diego for outfielder Brent Rooker. In 67 big league games split between Minnesota and the Padres, he has a .205 average and hit nine homers in 58 games for the Twins last year. Gallagher, a valuable backup to Salvador Perez, hit .240 in parts of six Kansas City seasons.

What else did KC do this trade period?

Monday transactions brought a pair of new pitchers to the KC Royals.

Anyone anticipating a blockbuster Kansas City deal as Monday dawned ended the day disappointed. The Royals didn’t shock the baseball world, but did add some pitching help.

Arizona’s Luke Weaver was the most notable add and cost the club third baseman Emanuel Rivera, who hadn’t spurred many (if any) rumors before the KC announced the move early in the evening (Twitter link). Primarily a starter during a big league career that began with St. Louis in 2016, the righthander is now a reliever with a 3.55 ERA in 11 relief appearances this season. He also gave up nine runs in a 3.2-inning start in June.

Weaver’s health may bear watching. He was on the 60-day Injured List with elbow inflammation earlier this season and with a right shoulder strain last year.

Kansas City put him on the active roster before Tuesday night’s game.

The club also picked up pitcher Anthony Misiewicz (Twitter link) from Seattle in a straight player-for-cash deal. Another righty reliever, Misiewicz was 0-1 with a 4.61 ERA in 17 Seattle games this season, and 0-0, 3.65 in 13 Triple-A games. He’s now on Omaha’s roster.

The KC Royals picked up 6 minor league prospects in a pair of transactions.

The Royals made their first move three weeks before Tuesday’s deadline passed, and after trading Carlos Santana to Seattle for pitchers Wyatt Mills and William Fleming in June, when they gave up their Competitive Balance draft pick to Atlanta for Drew Waters, the Braves’ slumping but still vaunted prospect (MLB Pipeline rated him as Atlanta’s No. 1 prospect at the time), pitcher Andrew Hoffman and infielder CJ Alexander. Waters, who brought a .246/.305/.393 line to KC, has excelled at Triple-A Omaha, where he’s slashing .322/.420/.610 with a 1.031 OPS in 26 games.

Then came the departure everyone knew was coming—Andrew Benintendi was certain to be traded, with only the destination to be determined, when Kansas City finally pulled the trigger last week and sent their star left fielder to the Yankees for minor league pitchers T.J. Sikkema, Beck Way and Chandler Champlain.