4 KC Royals players most likely to be traded at this year’s Winter Meetings

Hunter Renfroe, OF

Last winter, the Royals signed Hunter Renfroe to a one-year, $5.5 million deal with a player option for 2025, hoping the outfielder would help to bolster their roster for a comeback season. It's now one year later, and while the Royals did indeed get their comeback season, Renfroe certainly wasn't much help.

In 135 at-bats this season, Renfroe slashed .229/.297/.392 with 15 home runs and a career-low 52 RBI. His average exit velocity of 88.5 mph and 6.6% barrel rate both placed him firmly below average among MLB batters, as did his 39.4% hard-hit rate.

Renfroe's lack of power — including a career-worst slugging percentage — was a major problem for him this season, and he certainly didn't make up for it on defense. Along with a disappointing Fielding Run Value (FRV) of -4 in the outfield, the 32-year-old posted an abysmal -7 Outs Above Average (OAA) to rank in just the 6th percentile of all qualified fielders.

All in all, Renfroe certainly didn't shine in 2024, so it wasn't a surprise when he exercised his $7.5 million player option on October 31, locking himself onto Kansas City's payroll for another season.

If the Royals can trade Renfroe at the Winter Meetings, they almost definitely will — but after the outfielder's performance in 2024, they're unlikely to get much in return. The most Kansas City can reasonably hope for is being able to use Renfroe as an extra player to throw into a larger trade package, and even then, the team may end up having to eat some of his salary.