KC Royals Trades: Grading the club's 2023 major and minor league deals

The trade deadline deals made by the KC Royals remain unmatched. It is undeniable that the acquisitions of Cole Ragans and Nelson Velazquez have provided a significant boost to this struggling franchise. It is worth noting, however, that the Royals received and traded additional players beyond these two.

How do all the KC Royals trades grade out as the season ends?

The minor league moves can be easily overlooked. Keeping up with the Royals on their own can be a lot; adding on four more teams can be an impossible ask. But, we did not initially recap those moves alongside other deadline deals. We will detail those moves a bit more than their MLB counterparts, simply to give you more context. Let's run through every trade Kansas City has made since Opening Day this year, starting with the August moves.

Aug. 22 - KC Royals trade Brewer Hicklen to Philadelphia for cash.

Outfielder Brewer Hicklen made his MLB debut in a Royals uniform on May 26, 2022. He was a part of the young group that came up for the infamous journey to Toronto that season as well. In total, Hicklen appeared in six games with no starts and only four plate appearances. Such is the life of an emergency outfielder.

The circumstances of Hicklen's progression are frustrating. The Alabama alum turned 27 ahead of the 2023 season, aging him out of prospect status. Hicklen showed that he was competent all across the outfield and a plus-bat at the Triple-A level. The strikeout issues (36.1% strikeout rate in 2022) likely hindered him. ZiPS still projected him as a 1 fWAR player in 2023 at the MLB level and Hicklen could have added life to this Royals outfield earlier this season.

Kansas City's lack of action spelled his standing in their long-term plans, so it was bittersweet to see him traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. Sometimes a player only needs a change of scenery and a chance elsewhere to succeed. He hit the ground running for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, where he played in 11 games. His walk rate shockingly rose to 21.7%, only slightly trailing an improved 23.9% strikeout rate. His .885 OPS and 129 wRC+ show an outfielder make a solid first impression.

Hicklen will likely compete for the Phillies 40-man roster next spring training, but he is far from a sure thing at the MLB level. Besides, 28-year-old farm players usually do not make a large impact at the next level. For the Royals' sake, I hope he does not. But it is impossible to root against Hicklen.

Grade: B+

Aug. 3 - KC Royals trade Luis Barroso to Baltimore for cash.

Some player-for-cash deals are glorified waiver claims and the Baltimore Orioles trading for reliever Luis Barroso reeks of that. The Panama native signed a contract with the Royals back in early 2018, landing in the Dominican Summer League. His climb through the Royals farm system took longer than most, as he started the 2023 season with the High-A River Bandits at 24 years old.

Barroso was exclusively a bullpen arm this season, appearing in 19 High-A games before the trade. He struggled to strike out the younger competition, with a 4.20 K/9 and 5.98 ERA. Control was never an issue, but Barroso struggled to induce weak contact and ground balls.

The Orioles traded for Barroso and sent him to the Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds. He appeared in four games there, totaling 7 2/3 innings. His strikeout rate improved to 8.22 K/9, and his ERA dropped to 3.52. But, the Orioles had seen enough of him and released Barroso on Aug. 22. He remains a free agent, but the 25-year-old Barroso does not seem like a high free agency priority.

Grade: A+

Aug. 1 - KC Royals trade Scott Barlow to San Diego for Henry Williams and Jesus Rios.

The trade KC Royals fans have debated for years. Closer Scott Barlow was once an elite player in Kansas City, peaking in a dominant 2021 season. The Royals pulled the trigger and righty with rippling locks to the San Diego Padres. The veteran has been solid for the Padres, appearing in 24 games for the team.

Barlow was good in San Diego, but not to the point where the Royals should regret moving on. The fresh start helped, as he posted a 3.11 fielding independent pitching (FIP), and allowed 10 earned runs in 28 1/3 innings. The strikeout-to-walk ratio improved noticeably, but control remains an issue with Barlow.

The Royals' return netted them a new top-10 prospect in right Henry Williams. The 22-year-old made five starts for the Low-A Columbia Fireflies, pitching 24 innings in total. He allowed a homer in all but one start but also struck out at least four batters on each appearance. Walks, like Barlow, are an issue as he walked seven batters across his final two starts. All in all, he ended with a 3.38 ERA, 5.16 FIP, and two wins in those four starts.

The 21-year-old Jesus Rios is the lottery ticket in this trade, heading to the Arizona Complex League after this trade. He has a raw fastball that reaches 95 MPH, but control issues are very prevalent. He walked and struck out the same amount of batters for the Royals ACL team in 4 2/3 innings. The 3.86 ERA makes him look good, but the 5.79 FIP reflects how volatile he is. But, you can't teach talent and Rios has that for sure.

Grade: B

July 31 - Chicago trade Nelson Velazquez to KC Royals for Jose Cuas.

I fail to see a downside to this trade two months after execution. The Royals sent away Jose Cuas, a replacement-level reliever to the Chicago Cubs for Nelson Velazquez, and an outfielder on the outside of the team's outfield logjam. The Cubs were contending for a postseason bid at the time, so Cuas looked like an acceptable option to shore up their bullpen. But, with the Cubs outside of the postseason and Cuas' decline, that only makes the Royals look like even bigger winners.

Cuas declined in several areas after joining the Cubs. The BB/9 rose to 5.32, K/9 fell to 7.23, plus his 4.90 FIP was a career-worst mark. In all, he added a measly .04 win percentage to the Chicago club. He wasn't the reason the team fell short of the postseason, but he had little impact it seems.

On the other hand, acquiring Velazquez looks like a savvy move from the Royals front office. He has 14 home runs in 40 games since coming to Kansas City. His 130 wRC+ is among the team's best since Aug. 10 as well.

Sure, he does not play perfect defense in the outfield, as evidenced by his -2 outs above average, according to Baseball Savant. He surprisingly has better defensive metrics in left field, a spot that has been a revolving door of poor defenders this season.

Velazquez's bat more than covers for his glove though. The Royals sorely needed a powerful bat in the 2023 lineup. At only 24 years old, Velazquez has a chance to be that in 2024 and possibly beyond.

Grade: A+

July 30 - KC Royals traded Nicky Lopez to Atlanta for Taylor Hearn.

Is there anything new to say about this? Nicky Lopez is going to the postseason while Taylor Heanr hasn't pitched in the majors since Aug. 28. Atlanta fans have rightfully taken to Lopez as a fan favorite.

Atlanta analysts love the trade, as the team only lost a poor reliever to gain a versatile player in Lopez. The only "positive" way to slice this is the Royals don't have to pay Lopez more for being on the bench, but that is not a good reason to ship off Lopez for less than nothing.

Grade: F

July 13 - KC Royals trade Mike Mayers to Chicago for cash.

Remember when Mike Mayers was the savior of Kansas City's pitching woes? His quality start against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 29 bought him plenty of goodwill amongst fans, but that did not help the on-field results. He had a 6.15 ERA across 26 1/3 innings for the Royals, accruing a 1.67 WHIP in six games.

The Royals designated him for assignment on June 18, then sent him outright to Triple-A Omaha. The 31-year-old veteran did not look good against that competition either, with a 5.60 FIP and 6.80 ERA in 12 appearances. For some reason, the Chicago White Sox traded for Mayers. He never played with the MLB team, going 1-4 with a 5.29 ERA and 5.72 FIP in 16 appearances.

Mayers was not a solution for Kansas City or Omaha, and it astounds me that the Royals even got a cent for him.

Grade: A+

June 30 - KC Royals trade Aroldis Chapman to Texas for Cole Ragans and Roni Cabrera

You knew this one was coming. Frankly, I don't want to spend too much time on this one. Cole Ragans' performance has been broken down time and time again. He was one of the best starters in MLB in the season's second half, plus won AL Pitcher of the Month honors in August. Let's look in on the other two members of this trade.

Aroldis Chapman came to Kansas City on a mercenary's deal. He was already a prime trade candidate before he threw a pitch in Kansas City. The Royals pulled the trigger early on moving Chapman to the Texas Rangers. Chapman was not nearly the same player for Texas in his 30 appearances.

The 15.52 K/9 remained elite, but he suffered from giving up too many home runs. He was a 1.3 WAR pitcher in 31 games for Kansas City. He was worth only .5 WAR for Texas in nearly the same amount of time. He was still a good reliever, but not the fringe All-Star performer he was in Kansas City. But, Texas is in the postseason so maybe Chapman will shine brightest when it matters most.

Roni Cabrera is still in lottery ticket status, being only 18 on the DSL. He was still a plus-batter, posting a 104 wRC+ in 22 games since joining the Royals. FanGraphs described Cabrera as "an interesting low-level flier with relevant pull-pop and a prototypical corner outfield frame." I imagine he starts the 2024 season above the DSL to challenge him at the plate.

You already know this grade. Arguably the biggest trade win in recent Royals history.

Grade: A+

June 27 - KC Royals traded Andres Nunez to Boston.

Kansa City sent another bullpen arm to an AL East team back in June, this time trading away Andres Nunez to the Boston Red Sox. This move did not even have the full terms disclosed, according to the Royals transaction wire. Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors said it was "likely a cash deal," but the teams never confirmed that.

This was a very non-descript deal after Nunez's slow start to 2023. Nunez had solid seasons at the Triple-A level in 2021 and 2022, totaling 71 appearances there across the two seasons. He entered the 2023 season at 27 years old, and the results seemed like he was ready for the next step. But, Nunez began struggling with control as the walks rose and strikeouts fell. His ERA ballooned to 6.66 in only 21 appearances.

Fans want the Royals to be more transactional, and moving on from Nunez was. His numbers did not improve in the Boston organization, where he only pitched 20 1/3 innings. Whether it be an injury or something mentally affecting Nunez, the Royals were right to move on. It does not matter what the return was. The Royals got something for a player below replacement level and one that could not help the team in 2023 or beyond.

Grade: A+

May 18 - KC Royals traded Robbie Glendinning to Baltimore for cash.

Infielder Robbie Glendinning gained some name recognition during the World Baseball Classic, but the Royals sent him to his third organization in two years in this trade.

Glendinning is originally from Australia and played for his country's team in this year's WBC. HE hit .300/.391/.600 in five games for the Aussies and looked to parlay that momentum into the minor league season. HE seemingly did for the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals, hitting .242/.373/.363 in 26 games. His walk rate rose to 16.4% and the strikeouts fell to 25.5%, a relative improvement to his minor-league career.

But, being a 27-year-old utilityman in the Royals system is not a recipe for success. With several players above him on the pecking order, the Royals move Glendinning to the Baltimore Orioles for cash. He made his Triple-A debut with the Norfolk Tides, appearing in 33 games there. He hit a respectable .248/.331/.476, but a 98 wRC+ and 34.7% strikeout rate caused concern.

The Orioles released Glendinning on Aug. 7, then the Philadelphia Phillies signed him to a minor-league contract on Aug. 10. Glendinning only appeared in five games for the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils, before landing on the 60-day-IL. I like Glendinning, but there is a reason he has been with four different organizations since 2021.

Grade: A+

May 8 - Philadelphia trades James McArthur to KC Royals for Junior Marin and cash.

Trading for James McArthur was a big gamble for the Royals coaching staff and front office. The move felt like the first prove-it deal from the new administration with most of the season left to go. If I were writing this on Sept. 1, this would be a widely different grade. But, McArthur was Kansas City's best reliever down the stretch and one of the best bullpen arms in MLB.

The Phillies designated McArthur for assignment on May 4 this season and the Royals gave up more than cash to acquire the towering reliever. Junior Marin is a 19-year-old outfielder in the ACL who had a tremendous 2022 season. He made only five appearances for the Phillies ACL team, slashing .294/.316/.412 with an 84 wRC+. He is a lottery ticket, but Royals fans still did not understand the move.

Sending away an ACL outfielder for McArthur looks much better as the season comes to a close. McArthur's tenure started terrible, but Royals fans will remember how he performed since returning to the team on Sept. 1. In 14 1/3 innings since then, he has not allowed a run, walked a batter, or hit a batter. He has four hits in those 11 games while earning his first career win and recording three saves. I understand that luck was incredibly in play, evident by his .129 BABIP. But, there is no discounting his 1.17 FIP or 15 strikeouts in that span.

“There will be pieces who emerge. It’s a matter of who’s going to step forward and do it,” general manager J.J. Picollo said. “We can talk all we want, but somebody’s got to do it.”

I am really excited about McArthur's potential for success in 2024 and beyond. The Royals saw his potential when they acquired him, and the coaches have only made him better. We got a glimpse of what he can do in September, and it was very impressive.

Grade: A+