The 7 best MLB Trade Deadline deals in KC Royals history

The upcoming MLB trade deadline represents a contending team’s final opportunity to infuse proven talent into its roster. With the KC Royals in contention for the postseason, this season’s deadline – 6 p.m. ET Tuesday — becomes especially vital.

It also represents the first legitimate chance as the leader of a contending club for Kansas City Executive Vice President and General Manager J.J. Picollo to test himself against his peers acting against the least forgiving crucible of all — the clock.

In their more than half-century history, the Royals have been both buyers and sellers — probably more frequently the latter – at the trade deadline. A lot has already been written and more will be written about the 2024 team’s deadline needs.

But this is also a good time to look back on the club’s deadline history, and especially at the last-minute deals they swung that infused real talent into the big league roster.

With some exceptions, the deadline for non-waiver transactions has been July 31 for as long as many fans can remember. But it was not always so; prior to 1986, the trade deadline was June 15. With that in mind, here’s a chronological look at the seven most significant deadline trades made by the Royals since they began play in 1969.

1970: The KC Royals land a fan-favorite infielder

The franchise was barely into its second season when GM Cedric Tallis swung a seemingly innocuous deal that delivered big dividends. Tallis sent St. Louis Fred Rico, a little-used infielder the team had taken in the 1968 Rule 5 draft, but who played in just 12 games for the Royals, all of them in 1969.

In return, KC received infielder Cookie Rojas, whose previous claim to fame was having been included in the previous winter’s Curt Flood deal between the Phillies and Cardinals; that's the one where Flood refused to report and touched off the push for free agency. In nine seasons with the Cardinals, Phillies and Reds, Rojas had been a consistent .260 bat with little power.

Installed as the Royals’ regular second baseman, he blossomed into the young club’s first team leader. He batted .300 in 1971, was a four-time All Star (1971-74). His best seasons were behind him when KC won is first division title in 1976, but he was a valuable contributor that year and the next.

Rojas was inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame in 1987.