3 Royals who seem like no-brainers to sell at upcoming trade deadline

If fans haven't accepted the Kansas City Royals' fate, it is impossible to ignore the season's outlook now. Despite the respite winning a series against their I-70 rivals provided this weekend and opening their series against the Rays with a win, Kansas City is deep in the win-loss hole. The Royals are narrowly ahead of the Los Angeles Angels for the worst record in the AL, and being 13 games under .500 right now puts them on track for a 67-win 2026 season. Hardly where this fanbase or organization expected this team to be. But alas, reality hits hard sometimes.

That reality has Kansas City looking for patchwork options to round out this year's roster, but it should also firmly put them in seller mode for the upcoming trade deadline. It does not help that Kansas City woefully needs more prospect power, hopefully players that are ready to contribute one way or another come 2027. Only two of Kansas City's top 10 prospects are in Double-A or higher, and the lone Triple-A representative is Ben Kudrna, who is out for the remainder of 2026. There are no reinforcements waiting in the wings for this season, and if Kansas City does not acquire more prospects, likely none next year either.

Despite the Royals being six-and-a-half games out of a Wild Card spot, fans need to look at the coming Aug. 3 deadline through the lens of who Kansas City will trade away, not who they will acquire. Injuries and performance can change so much with more than a month until the deadline, but if the deadline was today, here are three names Kansas City would be fools not to move on from.

Daniel Lynch IV should have no shortage of suitors at the trade deadline

One of the last remaining pieces from Kansas City's pitching run in the 2018 MLB Draft, southpaw Daniel Lynch IV has evolved into quite the valuable reliever. He has held a sub-2.00 ERA for much of the season before his most recent and worst outing against the Washington Nationals on June 16. That loss was his first of the year and first in nearly a full calendar year, showing just how rarely Lynch melts under relief pressure.

Lynch is not striking out every batter left and right anymore, but he has contextual value. For example, he has limited left-handed batters to a .171 batting average this season, placing him in the Top 10 of all AL relievers. Entering Monday's action, he has also stranded 12 of his 14 inherited runners this year and 31 of his last 35 (88.6%) since the start of last season. He is a pitcher opposing teams have to shift plans for quickly once he takes the mound, unless they want Lynch to post another scoreless outing as he has done in 26 of 32 appearances this season.

So many contenders are always on the hunt for relief help on the trade market. The Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, and Philadelphia Phillies are three teams that stand out who could use left-handed bullpen help this season. What Lynch could fetch on the trade market is even more cloudy, but Kansas City should absolutely be listening to offers on him. Lynch has two more years of team control remaining, which both boosts his trade value and the odds that Kansas City keeps him.

This offseason, Lynch was a player whose back-of-the-baseball-card numbers looked good but whose surrounding metrics were shaky. Now, as he continues to outperform expectations, the Royals have a clear off-ramp from Lynch at the trade deadline.

Lane Thomas' could be a godsend for contenders in need of right-handed bats

Much like Lynch, outfielder Lane Thomas fills a niche role for the Royals and could do the same for a team with more wins in the win column. Kansas City signed the former Cleveland Guardians outfielder this offseason as a rebound candidate to round out their lineup and help specifically against left-handed pitching. Thomas has done that so far this season, posting a 102 wRC+ in 188 plate appearances. But Thomas is also bringing a strong arm and an expiring contract to the trade table, two aspects that make him intriguing to round out a contender's roster.

Thomas is having a career-year when it comes to plate discipline, including his 20.6% chase rate ranking in the 95th percentile. That has helped fuel a career-best 14.7% walk rate this year and cements him as a player who keeps the line moving, especially against left-handed pitching. His .754 OPS against southpaws is not nearly at his career .848 mark, but Thomas is heating up in June and is a big part of why the Royals are scoring more runs this month.

The Tennessee native has found his power stroke in June, with four of his five home runs coming in the month of June. Thomas also has a 142 wRC+ in that span, coupled with a .270/.361/.524 line. He has come a long way from where he was earlier this season, when manager Matt Quatraro kept playing him high in the order against lefties but the results just were not there.

Thomas is more of a minor move than a franchise-defining one, but if Kansas City can find value in this trade, it is worth it. The Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, and Milwaukee Brewers are all teams that post below-average numbers against lefties and would see a potential boost from Thomas. The outfielder is more of a player who complements a roster for a few months than an everyday option, but Kansas City should be looking to move Thomas for next to anything rather than employ him for meaningless games.

Now seems as good a time as ever for Royals to cash in on Michael Wacha

This is a tough pill to swallow, but largely the most valuable trade pieces are such pills. Right-handed pitcher Michael Wacha has been a staying force for the Royals over the past three seasons. He may not have hit the heights of Seth Lugo in 2024 or Kris Bubic in 2025, but his 8.6 fWAR since joining the Royals leads the pitching crew by a wide margin. That is partially why Kansas City was quick to re-sign Wacha following the 2024 season. But as he continues to defy Father Time, the time is now for Kansas City to trade Wacha away.

The longtime St. Louis Cardinals starter is leading the AL with 101 innings pitched this season, posting a 3.48 ERA and 3.84 FIP in that span. He is not a strikeout savant, but he limits free baserunners and home runs to keep the opposition off the scoreboard. Eleven of his 16 starts this season have been quality starts, an enviable track record in 2026 and one that could help several contending rotations.

MLB.com recently highlighted Wacha as a trade candidate, saying the veteran would be a good fit for the Athletics, dreaded New York Yankees, or division foe Chicago White Sox. The latter two are hardly the places Kansas City would like to bolster their winning ways in 2026 or beyond, but if the price is right, the Royals must swallow their ego and ship out the 34-year-old.

The reality is that Wacha is one of Kansas City's highest paid players this season and is set to make $14 million in 2027 with a $14 million club option for 2028. The Royals can absolutely afford that, but if they want to allocate more resources toward the lineup or younger players, this is the team's way to shed Wacha's payroll while hopefully getting a strong prospect package in return. Starting pitching is always at a premium at the trade deadline, and Wacha might be one of the more underappreciated trade candidates this summer.

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