Reuniting with this surging hitter might be perfect trade deadline move for KC Royals

After entering the 2025 MLB season with lofty expectations, a current record of 29-26 is probably not what the Kansas City Royals had in mind fresh off a trip to the ALDS in 2024.

While the starting rotation has been a huge bright spot and the bullpen has rebounded for the most part after a shaky start, it's been the offense that's been the prime culprit for the Royals mediocrity to start the campaign.

There’s plenty of spots the Royals could do with an upgrade, but the team's most glaring need for some time now has been in the outfield. While certain names have stepped up in recent weeks, there's still a lack of an overall star performance out there.

However, a familiar face in Ryan O’Hearn has put together a remarkable season so far with the struggling Baltimore Orioles - who will likely be forced to be sellers at this year's trade deadline - making him in his final year of his contract a prime target on the market this summer.

And perhaps a reunion with the Royals could be in the cards, as they look to strengthen their postseason case.

Reuniting with Ryan O'Hearn might be perfect trade deadline move for the KC Royals

O’Hearn has been nothing short of remarkable in 2025. He’d already undergoing some what of a career revitalization since leaving the Royals after the 2022 season, becoming a consistent above average hitter in Baltimore, but he's taken things to a whole new level entirely this season.

O’Hearn has gone from a 119 wRC+ hitter in 2024 to currently sitting fourth in all of baseball with a 181 wRC+ in 2025, trailing only the likes of three former MVP's in Aaron Judge, Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani.

He's achieved this by slashing .340/.426/.542 with a 11.4% walk rate and 15.9% K-rate. Along with his sterling wRC+, this has also resulted in him surpassing his 1.7 fWAR in 2024 before the end of May, as he currently sits at 1.9.

While another left-handed bat, who's more of a first baseman by trade, would traditionally carry some red flags, this KC Royals outfield could use all the help they could get regardless of awkward fits.

Their outfield unit sits second to last in all of baseball in wRC+ at 70 and third last in OPS at .617.

And while the offence has some bright spots to fall back on, including striking out at the second lowest rate in all of baseball, it's been more doom and gloom then sunny skies at the dish. As a team they are only marginally better than their outfield unit, as they still sit 26th in the league in both wRC+ at 83 and OPS at .663 and walk less than any team in all of baseball with just a 6.5% rate.

Acquiring a bat like O’Hearn would certainly increase their outfield production, promote their lineup's strengths and address the weaknesses of the offense as a whole.

He could immediately slot into the everyday corner outfield and shift Jonathan India back to his natural second base position, which would also see the struggling Michael Massey (28 wRC+) receive less regular at-bats in the process.

Considering they’ve also been playing India out of position there all season, shows the Royals have been already willing to sacrifice defense for offense. And now might be the best time to continue to do so given how much they’re struggling at the plate of late.

Now, some Royals fans may be hesitant to acquire another left-handed hitting outfielder, knowing that top prospect Jac Caglianone is likely not far from making his MLB debut this season after a torrid start to his Triple-A career. That being said, O’Hearn would provide a major league-proven insurance policy in the short-term to account for any growing pains Caglianone might face upon his big league promotion.

And given the fact he’d be a rental, he would not clog up the long-term future in the corner outfield or at first base for Caglianone or Vinnie Pasquantino.

While the Royals have already been stingy when it comes to available outfielders so far this season - after not claiming Leody Taveras off waivers a few weeks ago when they had the opportunity to do so - O’Hearn should be an entirely different story.

Taveras had less of a proven track record and far more flaws than someone like O’Hearn, so a short term and already reasonably affordable rental investment in a difference-maker like O’Hearn would be more of a worthwhile use of finances - even if somebody like Taveras would’ve been somewhat cheaper.

He's had a hot start and his underlying metrics - including an 84th percentile hard-hit rate of 49.6%, a 99th percentile xBA of .327 and a 93rd percentile xwOBA of .399 - prove his start looks sustainable and not just a mere two-month flash in the pan.

Pair that with some prior experience already at Kauffman Stadium, even if it was sub-par for the most part, and a reunion starts to make a whole lot of sense.