4 KC Royals players who could be traded before Opening Day

The KC Royals are trying to go from worst to first in the AL Central next season. The franchise is in the middle of one of the league's longest postseason droughts, going eight seasons without a playoff appearance. The team has been relatively aggressive on the free agency market, showing the fanbase some urgency following the 106-loss season. It is hard not to be optimistic about the Royals 2024 season. They do not have to be immediate contenders, but this fanbase desperately needs notable improvement.

The KC Royals still have work to do before Opening Day comes.

Keeping that desperate mentality, the Royals should not be content with their current 40-man roster. There is still plenty of room for improvement, and this team's ceiling remains lower than most will admit. This front office should look to the trade market for creative and frugal ways to improve the 2024 squad or better prepare for the following year.

The winning Royals of the 2010s coupled their young cores with veterans, acquiring them in free agency or via trade. Personally, I think the Royals have the latitude for some low-level trades, but I would love to see a James Shields-esque trade. The Royals do not have baseball's top prospect like they did in Wil Myers, but trading for an impactful veteran should be the goal of any splashy trade.

Whether it be an all-in move or improving on the fringes, the Royals have ample tradeable players before Opening Day. Spring training will have plenty of roster battles. But if these players stumble in Arizona, Kansas City absolutely needs to trade them ahead of Opening Day.

OF Dairon Blanco

The hope is that outfielder Dairon Blanco will have a breakout year for the Royals. He stuck with the big league club for 69 games last season, impacting the game in all facets. He was a menace on the basepaths, with 24 stolen bases, and was only caught stealing five times. His 30.3 feet/second spring speed was the fourth fastest in the league and top amongst outfielders. Blanco made a name for himself swiping bags in the minors, and that facet of his game transitioned seamlessly to the majors.

One thing that fans overlooked were his contributions at the plate. After all, he was one of Kansas City's best bats in the second half. He led the Royals with a 143 wRC+, surpassing AL MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr.'s 139 mark. Blanco got on base at an excellent clip and did damage with his base-stealing abilities. It is a rather straightforward and successful approach for the 30-year-old rookie.

That last part is why the Royals need to constantly be gauging Blanco's trade value: his age. The Cuba native had a relatively late start to his MLB career, and that severely hinders his value. Sure, the same thing could be said of All-Star Whit Merrifield, but his rise is the exception rather than the rule. A baseball player's speed can disappear fast, whether it be via injury, age, or inexplicable reasons. Blanco's only elite tool is his speed, and that makes his value very fluid.

Also, does his age fit the current Royals timeline? I understand Kansas City's free agency additions were on the older side, but most of the 40-man roster remains under 30 years of age. If Kansas City sees a Blanco replacement in a player like Tyler Tolbert or Garrett Hampson, the Royals should move on from Blanco with an appropriate trade partner. After all, speed kills, and contenders will want to have that in spades.

I love Blanco; I really do. I genuinely believe he would be a top-five fWAR position player on the 2024 Royals. I just do not believe that Kansas City should keep him at all costs. It would be wiser to trade him at his relative peak and lean upon a younger and similar player in Tolbert. Plus, Blanco's tools are elite enough that Kansas City could add more lower-level minor leaguers.

INF Samad Taylor

One of baseball's best first hits came off the bat of Samad Taylor in 2023. His walk-off hit against the Los Angeles Angels and subsequent celebration are among the feel-good moments of last season. However, it is impossible to deny that Taylor's debut season was anything but stellar.

Taylor was downright bad at the plate, finishing his 31 MLB games with a 49 wRC+ in 2023. He walked at a respectable 10.1% clip, but his 31.9% strikeout rate negated that and then some. Taylor is never going to hit for power. That is not who he is. That strikeout rate is one more in line with a powerful bat with an all-or-nothing approach. Taylor had a paltry .267 slugging, so that strikeout rate is unacceptable for Taylor.

There are many positives to draw from Taylor's 2023 season, but his speed is undeniably elite. It is not at Blanco's level, but Taylor's sprint speed still ranks in the 91st percentile. He produced eight stolen bases in his limited chances last season. But he cannot use that speed on the basepaths without getting on base.

Taylor does have some positional versatility, appearing at left and center field, plus second and third base last season. But he isn't great at any one position and doesn't have any prodigious traits in the field. Taylor, who will be 25 on Opening Day, still has time to right the ship regarding his MLB career. Plus, he has been under team control for an ample number of years. If another team is looking for a budget utility player, Taylor should be an option on the trade market. 

I feel like the Royals replaced Taylor with Hampson. I understand Taylor is a righty and Hampson bats left, but they both have eerily similar skill sets. Having both on the 40-man roster, much less on the bench, feels extremely redundant.

1B Nick Pratto

Ah, yes, the prodigal son. Nick Pratto, a first-round pick out of high school in the 2017 MLB Draft, was supposed to plant his flag in the 2023 season. After all, Vinnie Pasquantino was limited in 2023 due to injury, Kansas City lacked immediate depth at first base outside of Pratto, and the California native had the tools to take the next step. Sadly, that was not the case.

There was a time in the 2023 season where Pratto looked elite; he looked like the player the Royals had expected him to be. Alas, it was simply a hot streak and nothing more. The 25-year-old infielder made some outfield appearances, trying to keep his bat in the lineup during that hot streak. But Pratto could not keep it going across the entire season. He finished 2023 with a 79 wRC+, an absurd 40% strikeout rate, and a .388 BABIP, both extreme outliers in their own right.

Pratto finished 2023 with a -.6 fWAR across his 95 games played, 78 of those coming at first base. MLB.com's Anne Rogers put things bluntly this offseason, writing in the Royals Beat newsletter that Pratto "is going to have to really earn his way onto the roster in spring training." That is the best way to put it, as the clock is ticking on Pratto in Kansas City.

Frankly, I just do not see what Pratto brings to the 2024 Royals that another player cannot. Devin Mann, CJ Alexander, and others have the positional pedigree Kansas City wants while having more control. Plus, I am out on Pratto personally and was not a fan even during his hot streak. I hope he carves out a decent MLB career, but I do not believe that continues in Kansas City for much longer.