KC Royals Trade: Grading each deadline deal

The MLB trade deadline has come and gone and the KC Royals jettisoned plenty of veteran players with two months of baseball left. The fanbase went from fuming mad to pleasantly surprised in a matter of minutes after the 6 p.m. EST deadline passed. It looked like the Royals made no moves hours ahead of the deadline, but then news broke regarding pitchers Ryan Yarbrough and Scott Barlow. The two last-minute moves made the deadline feel transactional, with five trades between July 31 and Aug. 1.

The KC Royals addressed MLB and farm needs ahead of the trade deadline.

The moves added some new members to the top-30 prospect rankings while other moves add depth to the MLB roster. Some moves were better than others, while the trade deadline added some clarity for the remaining season and the upcoming offseason. Let's run down the Aug. 1 moves and grade each for the Royals.

The Royals kicked off the final day of trading with a minor trade with the Los Angeles Angels. Pitcher Tucker Davidson will get a chance to prove his MLB worth in the Royals bullpen. The biggest question is which Davidson will emerge in Kansas City.

The Royals acquiring a left-handed relief pitcher makes sense after the team traded José Cuas away. Cuas was not a world-beater out of the bullpen, but Davidson has the potential to be worse than Cuas. Davidson's 6.54 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, and .326 batting average allowed are all worse than Cuas' marks. The only metric that gives me hope is Davidson has a 3.37 FIP, far better than Cuas and better than the league average. The Royals may be able to find something there and give Davidson a decent infield defense behind him.

Davidson will quickly prove if the Royals were right to take a chance on him. He is set to join the 26-man roster as the Royals continue their three-game series against the New York Mets. This is not an impactful move, and cash consideration moves rarely are. Fans will wait and see if Davidson can hang in the bullpen, but there were other arms waiting in the wings who are ready.

Grade: D+

Barlow joins the middling Padres

Royals fans have been waiting for this move for years. Closer Scott Barlow is finally out of Kansas City, albeit years after his trade value peaked. While Barlow's role in the Royals role was important, he could have netted a larger trade return in previous years. J.J. Picollo righted one of Dayton Moore's wrongs on Tuesday by trading away the longtime Royals closer.

Barlow's role in Kansas City over the years was undeniable. Even on noncompetitive Royals teams, he earned 56 saves and finished 123 games, both top-10 marks in franchise history. But, 2023 marked a low for the 30-year-old veteran. His 5.35 ERA, 3.63 FIP, and 2.14 K/BB ratio are all career-worsts, adding up to his first negative WAR season, so far. It was a far cry from the elite seasons seen in 2021 and 2022, but there is no going back and trading Barlow then.

The Royals still netted a notable haul for Barlow, receiving a top-10 San Diego Padres prospect and Arizona Complex League standout. The Padres drafted Henry Williams in the 2022 MLB Draft's third round, but he was a first-round talent prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery. He is still returning to form in the minors, with a 5.74 ERA, 1.90 K/BB ratio, and 1-5 record against Low-A competition. Still, Picollo believes in the return for Barlow.

“Being a top 10 prospect, they certainly didn’t have to give him up,” Picollo said. “I know they liked Scott, not just this year, but in the past, they’ve tried to pursue Scott. We knew that was a team that would probably hang in there with us. Williams was the guy that we thought was in the range of what we wanted in return. Rios is a nice piece to add to the deal and make it complete.”

The 21-year-old Rios is an interesting complimentary piece as he is older than most prospects in the ACL. But, he is a relief prospect with an improving strikeout rate, forces ground balls, and has a 4.81 FIP.

For what Barlow is right now, I think the Royals got a great return. But, most importantly, this starts a new chapter on the Royals roster. Barlow will play competitive baseball for the first time in his MLB career, and the Royals gain Williams, now their 9th-best prospect. Barlow is not as valuable as many think anymore, and the Royals managed to get an impactful return.

Grade: B+