If KC Royals buy at trade deadline, it will be using prospects from this position

The Kansas City Royals’ 2025 window may be closing faster than the team would like to admit. Now hovering nearly 10 games under .500 ahead of the All-Star break, the Royals find themselves stuck in a Wild Card race that’s both within reach and crowded. Only two AL teams enter July more than eight games out of a postseason spot, making the Wild Card chase a traffic jam in today’s expanded playoff format.

If Kansas City makes a midseason surge and wants to add reinforcements, they’ll likely have to dip into their prospect capital. Starting pitching has been the club’s calling card this year, but recent injuries may have muddied their approach to the deadline. For simpler trade chips, the conversation begins behind the plate.

KC Royals will need to dip into catching depth if they want to be buyers at the trade deadline

Outside of outfielder/first baseman Jac Caglianone—who should be the only truly untouchable prospect—Kansas City’s deepest position group is catcher. MLB Pipeline ranks Blake Mitchell and Carter Jensen as the second- and third-best prospects in the Royals’ system. That depth could give the front office real flexibility.

This isn't the first time the Royals have been encouraged to dip into their catching depth to re-enforce their major league roster. Earlier this month, MLB.com's Anne Rogers pointed to catcher as being the spot to sell from for Kansas City.

And things have developed relatively nicely across the board behind the plate since then for the most part, further strengthening this narrative.

Mitchell’s 2025 season was derailed early by a fractured hamate bone in his right wrist that required surgery in late February. After a brief setback during his rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League, the 2023 first-rounder returned with authority this past week—blasting a home run, driving in four runs, and drawing four walks across three games.

Jensen is making that case right now in Triple-A Omaha. The Park Hill native is still adjusting to the International League, but early signs are encouraging—both at the plate and behind it. He rebounded from a slow start in Double-A to earn his promotion, even pushing veteran Brian O’Keefe off Omaha’s roster.

Whether it’s his left-handed bat or game-calling acumen, Jensen remains firmly in the conversation as Kansas City’s future franchise catcher. But with his trade value rising, he could just as easily become another team’s long-term answer.

One wildcard is 19-year-old Ramón Ramírez, who landed on the IL with Low-A Columbia in early June. While the team hasn’t disclosed the injury, it halts what had been a strong start: Ramírez was slashing .252/.366/.472 with nine home runs and five steals in 194 plate appearances.

His bat is already his calling card, and with questions about his receiving—despite an above-average arm—some scouts project a future move to first base.

And then there’s Hyungchan Um, a 20-year-old from South Korea who rounds out the Royals’ cathing catching prospects in their Top 30. While his 2025 season hasn't looked great at the plate for 21-year-old - as he's slashing .195/.279/.299 in Low-A Columbia - he's been on a solid stretch at the plate lately. He's raised his AVG from .169 on June 19 to a .195 on June 29 thanks to a stronger stretch at the plate where he's hit safely in five of his last six games - including a towering homer on Sunday.

With four promising backstops at varying levels, Kansas City has something rare: catching depth that hits. In a league where quality catchers are scarce, that surplus might be exactly what helps the Royals patch a weakness at the deadline—without having to part with one of their premier names.

It’s important to note: the Royals’ approach at the deadline shouldn’t involve just prospects.

Freddy Fermin, the steady backup on Kansas City’s big-league roster over the past two seasons, has quietly built value of his own. The 29-year-old is still pre-arbitration, offers roster flexibility, and carries years of team control into his prime.

That’s the kind of asset that could also net a meaningful return—especially if the Royals believe Jensen or another backstop is ready to step up.