3 change of scenery candidates for KC Royals after Andrew Vaughn trade

Trade season is officially here and the AL Central is at the center of it all, as the Chicago White Sox have lit a spark in the market well ahead of next month's trade deadline. They sent first baseman Andrew Vaughn to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for disgruntled starting pitcher Aaron Civale on Friday morning.

On paper neither move really affects the Kansas City Royals all that much. The Milwaukee Brewers are in a completely opposite league and Civale’s arrival in Chicago isn't all that significant from a competitive standpoint considering how far the White Sox are from the AL postseason picture.

That being said, Vaughn’s move out of the division could spark some potential evaluation amongst the Royals brass on names they might want to consider moving that simply need a change of scenery.

This is precisely the situation the White Sox were in with Vaughn, as the former third overall pick carries immense potential but was simply never more than a mildly above average player at his best during his time in the southside. He's a 20 home run and mid-.200s AVG threat, meaning there's definitely a productive hitter in there and perhaps a move to Milwaukee can bring that hitter out.

Here are three potential names on the KC Royals that could benefit from a similar type of move.

3 change of scenery candidates for KC Royals after Andrew Vaughn trade

OF MJ Melendez

It's not an exaggeration to think that Melendez may very well have played his last game at Kauffman Stadium, after the once promising slugger was demoted to Triple-A back in April.

Even before his struggles this season, his entire tenure in the majors with Kansas City hasn't lived up to the hype.

While a .085 AVG, .343 OPS and a -7 wRC+ certainly stands out as the worst year on Melendez’s four year MLB resume, the fact of the matter is he's never been an above average hitter as a Royal. In fact, he's gone downhill every year since his 2022 debut, where he posted a 97 wRC+. In 2023 that mark dropped to 91, in 2024 to 85 and of course the putrid -7 total this season.

There are some qualities to like in Melendez though. Before 2025, he managed 15+ homer power, an 80th percentile mark or higher in average exit velocity and above average totals in hard-hit rate in each of those three seasons.

He has the makeups of a solid power bat, but might just need the right environment to unlock that type of power, as well as a team that both has the room and is willing to give him another shot to work out the kinks at the major league level.

After all, he has shown steady improvements in recent weeks in Triple-A Omaha – such as raising his average from .160 on May 16 to .230 on June 12 – which could indicate might just be ready for another chance in the majors.

Unfortunately for him, between the presence of regulars like Jonathan India and Kyle Isbel, along with 2025 call-ups Drew Waters, John Rave, Nick Loftin and of course the prized prospect in Jac Caglianone, there just doesn't seem to be the necessary space in the outfield to facilitate his return.

2B Michael Massey

Next we shift to Michael Massey, who could be challenging to move given his extremely low 25 wRC+ this season and the fact he's currently on the injured list.

That being said Massey is not far removed from being a key fixture in this Royals lineup, including holding down the leadoff spot for the majority of their 2024 run to the ALDS.

He's only a year removed from a respectable .259 AVG, .743 OPS and 102 wRC+ season. And in his first two relatively full seasons in the majors in 2023 and 2024, he was a double digit homer and 45+ RBI player.

And for the past two seasons he's demonstrated excellent plate discipline, sitting above the 80th percentile in both strikeout and whiff rate.

Pair all this with the ability to play an above average second base and Massey looks a lot better then his seemingly awful 2025 season would indicate.

With the presence of Jonathan India and the rise of Maikel Garcia, the second base position can already be adequately handled in Kansas City, and given the fact they're in the heart of their competitive window, that could prompt them to search for a hitter that's a little better than the average bat Massey can provide on his best days.

But there's a lot of value to be had in average players in MLB, so if Massey is able to become that type of hitter again in a different environment he could be a real useful bench tool or better.

1B/OF Mark Canha

Finally, we have Mark Canha who's on this list for different reasons.

You see with players like Vaughn, Melendez and Massey, they're all younger players looking to find the right place to regain their footing and reach their maximum potential. Canha on the other hand is the complete opposite.

The 36-year-old is far from his prime years, but after a strong start in a platoon role to begin his Royals tenure in 2025, he simply isn't receiving the same amount of game time to build on that early momentum, resulting in a downturn in his stats.

By the time April had wrapped up, Canha was hitting .346 with an .823 OPS and 130 wRC+. Since then however, the veteran has fallen to a .247 AVG, .595 OPS and 67 wRC+.

This is largely due to the fact that the priority in the outfield has gone to the likes of younger names like Caglianone, Waters, Rave and Loftin. And between Caglianone, Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez there's not a ton of opportunities at first base either.

Although this season may not be going his way, Canha still has a lot to offer at the plate first someone at his stage in his career, as he entered this season posting above average wRC+ totals (average being 100) in seven consecutive seasons dating back to 2019.

He could be a prime under the radar impact bench candidate for a team looking for a budget-friendly boost at the trade deadline, or perhaps he could be about to eat up much needed playing time for a non-contending team in dire need of a more than capable warm body in the lineup.

Either way it's hard to see where he's going to get any sort of meaningful playing time moving forward with the Kansas City Royals.