4 KC Royals who could be traded before Opening Day

With Opening Day fast approaching, the Kansas City Royals' roster competition is thinning, whether due to injuries or players being reassigned to minor-league camp. Less than two weeks before Kansas City kicks off the season against the Cleveland Guardians, roster projections are rolling in — but there are still some question marks surrounding fringe players.

First baseman Nick Pratto and right-handed reliever Carlos Hernández are firmly on the roster bubble and could be designated for assignment before the season begins. However, Kansas City could also clear spots via trade, allowing them to create room for more talented or projectable options while potentially recouping value in the process.

As Kansas City finalizes its 26-man roster, which players could be moved to smooth over the process? Here are a few candidates who could be on the trade block before Opening Day.

Chris Stratton, RHP

Is this wishful thinking? Possibly. While a team can never have too much pitching, Royals fans would likely welcome the departure of veteran right-hander Chris Stratton after a brutal 2024 season.

And brutal might be putting it gently.

Fresh off a World Series win with the Rangers in 2023, Stratton signed with Kansas City, his deal including a player option for 2025. Unfortunately, the Royals are now stuck with him after the worst season of his nine-year MLB career. His 5.55 ERA, career-worst 1.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and noticeable dip in fastball velocity left little to be encouraged by.

If Royals fans need a silver lining, here’s a small one: all 36 runs he allowed came in just 18 of his 57 appearances. In other words, when Stratton was bad, he was really bad — but he still had more solid outings than disastrous ones. That being said, he hurt the Royals more than he helped from a game-level perspective.

With his $4.5 million salary guaranteed, it would be easy for Kansas City to fall into the sunk cost fallacy and keep Stratton on the roster until there’s no other choice. However, he’s not making a strong case to stick around in Arizona.

After starting spring training with two clean, one-inning outings (striking out two in each), his last three appearances have been rocky, with multiple hits and at least one earned run allowed in each. More concerning, all four of his pitch offerings were slower in his March 12 outing against the Seattle Mariners. While he generated a 25% whiff rate, it’s hard to see a reliever averaging just 91 mph on his fastball consistently finding success in 2025.

Ideally, any Stratton trade would be more about clearing salary than acquiring prospect capital. If the Royals want to move forward with a resurgent Jonathan Bowlan or finally give Steven Cruz a fair shot in the big leagues, there are better bullpen options available. A pre-Opening Day trade feels unlikely, but if the Royals were to move Stratton, it would clear the way for younger, higher-upside relievers to step into key roles. At this point, Kansas City needs to ask whether holding onto him is worth the roster spot.