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

Michael Massey, 2B

The Royals' recent acquisition of India from the Reds has thrown Massey's role on the roster into question. Since India is slated to be the team's leadoff hitter, he's almost certain to take preference to play second base — so where does that leave Massey?

In 2024, Massey slashed a respectable .259/.294/.449 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI in 332 regular-season at-bats. He posted career-best numbers in runs (45), batting, slugging, and OPS (.743), and appeared in all six of the Royals' postseason games, batting .304 with 7 hits, including 1 RBI.

Massey also put up above-average numbers on defense this season, despite some shaky moments. His 4 OAA ranked him in the 86th percentile of all qualified fielders, while his FRV of 2 put him in the 65th percentile.

Still, Massey's unfortunate injury history mean he may be better suited as a platoon player than an everyday second baseman — if he stays with the Royals. The 26-year-old started the 2024 season on the Injured List with with back tightness, and after being activated on April 19, he only managed to stay in the lineup for four weeks before he was back on the IL with a low back ligament strain. Massey wasn't reactivated again until June 24, so in total, he only appeared in 100 games during the 2024 season, and just 82 of them were at second base since he was the team's designated hitter while he recovered.

The 2024 season wasn't the first year he's been limited by injuries, either. He only managed 129 games in 2023 due to left hand laceration that kept him out of the lineup over two weeks, as well as a brief stint on the IL with an ankle contusion.

If the Royals keep Massey on their roster, they'll almost certainly move him to a utility role in 2025 — but with the acquisition of India, they don't really need to keep him. Of the players the team would be open to trading, Massey would definitely garner the biggest return on the market. The second baseman put up strong numbers this season — when he was healthy — so the Royals likely won't have trouble finding a team interested in Massey's services, making him arguably the best trade chip they have going into this year's Winter Meetings.