KC Royals facing tough decision after Rafael Devers trade kickstarts deadline action

While it may not have been the first trade of the 2025 MLB season, Sunday night's blockbuster deal between the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants that sent disgruntled superstar Rafael Devers to the Bay is certainly the deal that will set the precedent for next month's trade deadline.

And while this trade on the surface may not have the largest connection to the Kansas City Royals that doesn't mean it has no impact them whatsoever.

In fact, now that the deal has happened so far out from the July 31 MLB trade deadline, J.J. Picollo and the rest of the Royals front office will likely have to kick things into gear and make the ultimate decision of what deadline path they'll take sonner than they probably anticipated.

KC Royals must soon decide whether or not to buy or sell ahead of July's trade deadline

At the end of the day, the Royals likely weren't ever a viable destination for Devers and his massive contract. The fit would have been too awkward from a positional standpoint and as a small market team the remaining 8.5 years of a 10 year $313.5 million contract would be extremely hard, bordering on impossible, to justify.

But we're not here to talk about Devers' fit with the Royals. We're here to talk about the indirect ramifications of this deal on the KC's trade strategy.

You see on paper Kansas City should be more than capable of returning to the postseason after their remarkable run in 2024, with a lineup led by Bobby Witt Jr., a top-tier rotation in baseball statistically this season and the bullpen with a pair of lights out anchoring arms leading the charge.

However, baseball is not played on paper and the Royals have shown fundamental flaws - especially on offense - that have led them to a 34-38 record.

With a team as strong as Kansas City on paper, there's certainly justifications as to why they should consider buying, and why numerous industry insiders have predicted they'll do so.

But considering there's already four teams ahead of them who sit outside of Wild Card picture - not to mention they sit only above the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central - it wouldn't be out in left field to think that this team could shift their focus to next season and act as more sellers at this year's deadline.

Normally a trade of this caliber isn't something we're talking about in the middle of June over six weeks out from the trade deadline, but that's the reality the baseball world finds themselves in.

And with that, teams will surely begin to focus on how they can keep pace and avoid being late to the party once again, because I'm sure there were plenty of teams who would want to take a shot at acquiring Devers, perhaps not this early though.

If that's the case, it seems realistic to think that other contending teams may not want to be caught off guard like all 28 other teams seemed to be on Sunday night after the news broke.

This means a team starving for offense like the Royals will have to act quicker than likely anticipated in order to not come up short in their search for a desperately needed bat.

The Royals also have an opportunity now to capitalize on vulnerabilities within the American League. Losing a hitter of Devers’ caliber will always have a negative impact, and for a Red Sox team that sits just half a game out of the final AL Wild Card spot - and 2.5 above the Royals - Kansas City has the opportunity to potentially reap the benefits of Boston’s subtraction.

At the end of the day, the rest of the league is likely in a scramble right now. This means that if the Royals want to be buyers at the trade deadline they'll need to act quick to ensure their desired targets don't get scooped up under their nose amidst the chaos. It also means that if they plan to lean into the struggle, look towards the future and embrace a seller’s role, they should take advantage of the opportunity in front of them to work with potentially panicking contenders.

Bottom line, now is not the time for the Royals brass to sit on their hands. Now is the time for action and a decisive strategy.