Former Royals prospect's NPB move may soften blow of surprise trade deadline deal

Just when his major league debut seemed imminent, and his bat and versatility suggested he might be the answer to the team's concerning second base situation, the Kansas City Royals suddenly traded Cam Devanney to Pittsburgh for Adam Frazier.

The deal came during the heart of the midsummer trade deadline period and surprised many — Devanney was proving his offensive mettle at Triple-A Omaha, and Frazier had hit poorly for the Royals in 2024.

That the Royals gave up Devanney to get Frazier back was curious. Despite a notoriously bad June slump during which he struggled to a .202 average, he'd rediscovered the form that propelled him to a red-hot .395/.457/.763 April, a good .268/.357/.505 May, and 18 homers and 48 RBI as June became July. With seven hits, including three home runs, and seven RBI through five July games, he was back on track.

But trades sometimes work unforeseen changes, and that's what has come to pass with Devanney. He eventually made it to the majors, but after only 14 games with the Pirates, he's on the move again.

Devanney will play his age-29 season in Japan as a member of Nippon Professional Baseball's Hanshin Tigers, with whom he's reportedly signing. The move should ease any pains over his departure that Kansas City fans may still be suffering.

Cam Devanney's NPB decision may make Royals followers feel better

News of Devanney's departure for Japan came out of the blue, but isn't shocking. His trade to the Pirates clearly demonstrated he wasn't in Kansas City's long-term plans, and he didn't excel during his short stay with the Pittsburgh organization.

Assigned first to Triple-A Indianapolis, Devanney homered only twice and posted an 87 wRC+ over 34 games. Things worsened in the majors — called up Aug. 30, he slashed .139/.184/.167, drove in only one run, and struck out 21 times in 36 at-bats.

Why Devanney, who owns a respectable .254/.340/.443 six-season career minor league line, and has homered at least 19 times (with a single-year high of 23) in four of those campaigns, is opting to continue his career in Japan doesn't appear to be publicly known. But it may be that he didn't consider his immediate major league prospects to be great.

Playing NPB ball will give Devanney the chance to hone his skills in the context of some pretty good baseball. Whether or not he returns to the United States to play remains to be seen.

At the end of the day, though, his performance after the Royals dealt him to Pittsburgh suggests they may have made the correct move. And that alone should calm the waters for Kansas City fans who criticized the trade as soon as it was made.