Ranking the 5 best trades that the KC Royals have made in the last decade

The Kansas City Royals aren't a franchise known for blockbuster trades this time of year. They aren't the Yankees, Dodgers, or Padres who consistently throw money at their roster problems. 

However, since 2015, J.J. Picollo and his predecessor and mentor, Dayton Moore, have made several moves that have impacted their club and, in retrospect, turned out to be shrewd deals. Some had short-term value, while others showed their value over time. 

Let’s look back and rank the top five trades for the Kansas City Royals in the past decade.

The 5 best trades the KC Royals have made in the last decade

5. Steven Cruz and Evan Sisk for Michael A. Taylor (2023)

This trade went under the radar at the time of the deal because no one knew who Steven Cruz or Evan Sisk was. Michal A. Taylor was a good player in his time with the Royals, notably patrolling center field with shades of Lorenzo Cain.

He earned his only Gold Glove in his first season as a Royal in 2021. However, he was not awesome at the plate, hitting just .249 in two seasons with the Royals. To get anything substantial for him would’ve been icing on the cake at that time.

This season, we’ve seen that trade start to look like a real winner as Steven Cruz has come up and looked like a legit major league reliever who can touch 100 mph on the radar. He has a 2.20 ERA and 29 punch-outs in 32.2 innings.

Evan Sisk also debuted for the Royals this season and looked impressive (1.59 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 5.1 innings) before being optioned back to Triple-A.

This trade can look even smarter if the Royals can reach playoff contention again, with these two at the center of a stout bullpen.

4. OF Andrew Benintendi for OF Franchy Cordero and OF Khalil Lee (2021)

Getting Benintendi from the Red Sox was an exciting trade for the Royals, who were looking to jumpstart a team that finished in 4th place in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Benintendi was once the Red Sox's prized prospect and received 23 of 30 second-place votes for Rookie of the Year in 2017, finishing as the runner-up to Aaron Judge.

In his first season with the Royals, he slashed .276/.324/.442 with 17 home runs and 73 RBIs. He also won his first and only Gold Glove in left field.

Although he didn’t lead the team to a postseason birth, he still stands out as an excellent acquisition, especially considering what the Royals gave up to get him.

Cordero never found a home with an MLB team in his seven seasons and has not played in the league since 2023. Lee was a highly regarded Royals prospect, but he couldn’t stick in the major leagues either.

The Royals flipped Benintendi in 2022, in the midst of his first All-Star appearance, but that's another discussion for another day (and that's what I call foreshadowing).

3. Aroldis Chapman for Cole Ragans and Roni Cabrera (2023)

In a way, you could say Aroldis Chapman used the Royals. One of the hardest-throwing relievers baseball has ever seen agreed to sign with Kansas City in 2023 when the Yankees didn’t want him anymore after a lackluster 2022 campaign.

He proceeded to throw 29.1 innings and post a 2.45 ERA and 53 strikeouts in his short stay in KC. The Royals traded him to the Texas Rangers, who used Chapman en route to a World Series championship.

The only reason this trade doesn’t sting is because the Royals got their ace in Cole Ragans in return. Ragans has proven to be a cornerstone player for Kansas City, finishing fourth in the Cy Young Award voting in 2024, and is the guy in KC's rotation who traditionally strikes the most fear in opponents.

He was a key reason the Royals returned to the postseason last year after a long nine-year drought. He will undoubtedly be the ace for the Royals for years to come, signing a three-year $13.25 million deal earlier this winter.

2. Ben Zobrist for Sean Manaea and Aaron Brooks (2015)

This trade will always be remembered as the one that signaled the Royals were ready for October. Zobrist was the perfect Swiss Army knife, hitting from both sides of the plate and supplying good defense from the corner outfield spots and second base.

He was money in the bank, slashing .284/.364/.453 in the 2015 regular season with seven home runs and an OPS of .816. He was even better in the postseason, hitting .303, smashing two homers, and posting an .880 OPS.

Losing Manaea hurt at the time; he was young and had a promising upside as a starter. He turned out to be a good major league pitcher and is still playing in the league (although he’s been on the IL since March). He posted a career-best 3.47 ERA in 2024.

Nevertheless, winning the World Series solidified Zobrist as arguably the best trade deadline deal in the Royals' franchise history. The deal would have been sweeter if Zobrist was more than a rental, as he only stayed in Kansas City for one season but his impact was felt and KC fans will forever be grateful for his time here.

1. Johnny Cueto for Brandon Finnegan, Cody Reed, and John Lamb (2015)

Johnny Cueto should have a roller coaster named after him at Worlds of Fun. He put Royals fans through a wide range of emotions when he was traded in 2015.

He had a 4.76 ERA during the regular season and gave up 101 hits in 81.1 innings pitched. He gave up five runs or more four times and had a game in which he gave up seven runs and four home runs.

When the Postseason rolled around, he was a different animal. He was one of the biggest reasons the Royals won the World Series in 2015. He had historic performances in the decisive Game 5 of the ALDS and pitched a complete game, two-hit night in Game 2 of the World Series.

So what did Kansas City give up in the three lefties to get him? Well they won the World Series, and none of Finnegan, Lamb, or Reed ended up having long careers to write home about.

Honorable Mention: OF Jorge Soler for RHP Wade Davis (2016)

Losing Wade Davis was a difficult pill to swallow. Davis was one of the most beloved players in Royals history and a key player in the Royals' championship run in 14' and 16'.

A dominant arm who proved to be an elite closer, a healthy return for "The Waiter" was necessary for a player of his status. Davis was dealt to the Chicago Cubs for Jorge Soler during the Winter Meetings in 2016.

Soler was met with mixed emotions when he first arrived in Kansas City but proved to be a worthwhile acquisition after leading the AL with 48 home runs in 2019.

Outside of 2019, there was not much to write home about for Soler, slashing .236/.328/.471 in his time with Kansas City. Still, leading the league in home runs has to count for something. Even though Soler dealt with injuries throughout his time with the Royals, he was still a fan favorite and had arguably the most raw power in Royals history.

Honorable Mention: OF Johnny Gomes for SS Luis Valenzuela (2015)

This is strictly for vibes only. Gomes did not make many plays on the field for the Royals, but he brought something much more important. He brought passion, fire, and an unapologetic attitude to a championship team.

His speech during the Championship parade will go down as one of the most legendary speeches in Kansas City sports history. He emphasized that the Royals, as a team, had beaten the Cy Young winner, the Rookie of the Year, and the league MVP, none of whom were on their team.