Ranking the 5 most valuable Royals pitching trade chips after the Winter Meetings

Although the Royals were not among the teams signing big-name free agents like the Orioles and Phillies, the league is well aware of their desire for a couple of starting-caliber outfielders.

Yesterday, they were able to put pen to paper on a one-year deal with free-agent outfielder Lane Thomas, but don't think for a second that the Royals are satisfied. They have also been linked to names such as Austin Hayes, Harrison Bader, Teoscar Hernandez, and Adolis Garcia.

J.J. Picollo has been on record at the Winter Meetings stating that he wants an outfielder via trade and free agency, and isn't afraid to trade from their pitching surplus to get one. Well, you can check off the free agent route. Among the starters, the only guy that Picollo seems unlikely to move is Ace Cole Ragans.

"It would be really difficult for us to trade Cole," Picollo said to MLB.com's Anne Rogers. When Cole is right, he's as good as anybody in the game. It's rare that you get an opportunity to have somebody like that."

Ragans might've been the Royals' best shot at a premier bat, but they still have intriguing pitchers that MLB teams would see value in.

Teams consider two factors when acquiring talent via trade: future production and team control. The Royals have two aging vets, Lugo and Wacha, who can instantly boost a starting staff, but it would be shocking to see either moved because of the size of their contracts.

Let's take a look at who the most intriguing pitchers could be this winter.

Ranking the 5 most valuable Royals pitching trade chips after the Winter Meetings

1. Kris Bubic

Bubic stands as the Royals' most attractive trade piece for teams to inquire about coming off a breakout season. The 28-year-old lefty set career highs in strikeouts (116), ERA (2.55), and bWAR (3.1). His contributions before hitting the shelf were a major reason the Royals stayed afloat in the playoff race as long as they did, despite their inept offense. 

Bubic was a master at keeping lineups off balance with his 32.4% chase rate, landing him in the 89th percentile, and his average exit velocity (87.6 mph) was in the 87th percentile. 

He was borderline elite at inducing soft contact, with a .325 wOBAcon, indicating players had weaker contact against Bubic than average. He was also able to add a couple of mph to his fastball (up to 92.1 compared to 91.7 in 2023) in 2025, relative to his last season as a starter two years ago.

His season was cut short due to a left rotator cuff injury, but thankfully for both him and the Royals, surgery wasn't needed.

Bubic should command an above-average MLB bat and a prospect in return. A team like the Red Sox would be the ideal trade partner with their surplus of outfielders, but ironing out a deal could prove to be tricky because of his talent mixed with his injury history.

2. Noah Cameron

The Royals may have found a diamond in the rough with Noah Cameron in 2025. On paper, he was a rookie, but he didn't look like one. He was called up to the Majors after Ragans went down and was a revelation for the Royals, looking poised beyond his years. 

He went 9-7 with a 2.99 ERA and finished with 114 strikeouts in 138.1 innings in his MLB debut season. His K/9 mark was underwhelming at 7.42, but, like Bubic, he was above average at inducing soft contact. His 87.9 average exit velocity ranked him in the 82nd percentile. 

He's not a flamethrower, he's a true pitcher, not a thrower. His curveball was a dominant pitch with a .158 average against and a .189 SLG. Cameron also controlled the strike zone at an above-average rate with a Zone% of over 50%.

Cameron would be a good fit as a number five starter on a contending team like the Red Sox, Mariners, Cubs, and Mets. A return could be iffy to pinpoint though, given his success came out of the blue and his underlying metrics were below-average (45th percentile xERA and 43rd percentile xBA).

And if you ask Picollo, he'll tell you he expects Cameron to be a part of their future "for a long time."

3. Ryan Bergert

J.J. Picollo deserves his flowers for the deal he made at the deadline for pitchers Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert. Kolek was a nice depth arm, but Bergert flashed an upside that I know other teams would desire in a trade.

Only 25, he has six years of club control left. He had a combined 3.66 ERA with the Padres and Royals, with 73 strikeouts in 76.1 innings. 

Bergert has less than one full season of service, but he showed he could be an above-average starter in this league and has the potential to be a plus starter for years to come. 

He had a solid 22.6% strikeout rate to go along with a fastball that can touch 95 mph. His breaking ball held hitters to a .173 average, giving him a nice one-two combo to put hitters away.

4. Luinder Avila

Avila may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of trade value, but there's absolutely a market for players like him. He possesses some serious heat in his right arm and has potentially devastating swing and miss stuff coming out of the bullpen or as a starter.

He made his debut towards the end of 2025 and showcased that mid-to-high 90’s heater, but mixed in a deadly curve with nasty horizontal bite. In 14.0 MLB innings, he pitched to a 1.29 ERA with an impressive 28.6% K-rate.

He had a track record of solid strikeout numbers in the minors, but flipped a switch last season, providing great swing and miss stuff in Triple-A Omaha. The fact that Avila continued that with the Royals will have GMs thinking there's more to build on with him. 

However, he also brought his high walk rate to the big leagues, 10.8%, which is alarming since he pitched more than one inning only twice.

Avila was getting work as a starter in Omaha, but big league teams trading for him will want him in the back of a bullpen where he can blow hitters away in the late innings. He offers good versatility for both roles, as he threw a two-hit, seven-inning gem, striking out eight.

The 24-year-old Venezuelan accrued next to nothing in service time and won't be arbitration-eligible until after 2028. Don't be surprised if you catch his name included in a deal for a bat.

5. Stephen Kolek

Kolek arrived in Kansas City at the perfect time, with all the injuries they were dealing with at the deadline. Kolek and Bergert came in a package deal from the Padres in exchange for fan favorite Freddy Fermin and provided instant stability to the back end of their rotation.

Kolek made five starts for the Royals and proved he could be counted on in the rotation. He had a 1.91 ERA with the Royals with 21 strikeouts in 33 innings.

Kolek's superpower is inducing ground balls, with a 51.7% ground-ball rate, which puts him in the 87th percentile in the league. His sinker works well off his 95 mph fastball, and it has to because he doesn't get a lot of swing and miss at the plate.

His lack of a developed offspeed pitch could hold him back from being a frontline starter, but he still provides value with his MLB experience and five years of club control.