Royals Rumors: KC could trade from pitching strength to address offense

After finishing the 2024 regular season 10 games above .500 with a playoff spot in hand, the Kansas City Royals are flying high. The club was easily one of the top surprises in baseball all year long and is now in position to start their next multi-season contention window.

This means that the 2024-25 offseason is going to have to be a busy one if they're going to keep up with some of their division rivals. We can ignore the Chicago White Sox; but the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers are primed to be active this winter, while the Minnesota Twins, even if they don't add, already have an extremely deep roster. The Royals are going to need to be ultra aggressive.

Bringing Michael Wacha back into the fold was a great first step, but there's still a lot of work to do. According to Will Sammon and Katie Woo of The Athletic, the Royals are now setting their sights on adding a new leadoff hitter. The pair take things a bit further by saying that the Royals may entertain trade offers on Kris Bubic and/or Alec Marsh in their search for offense.

Per Sammon and Woo, the Royals are essentially looking for a better version of Garrett Hampson, who provides defensive flexibility and speed on the bases, but little else. Spencer Steer and Jonathan India are two names thrown around, but Steer in particular may not be much of a leadoff hitter.

Royals may be shopping pitchers to acquire offensive help

With the Royals having been reliant on Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Pérez to carry them on offense in 2024, there's a serious need for some thump. One of Jurickson Profar or Gleyber Torres would be ideal fits, as they both bring an experienced bat to the table who has spent their fair share of time batting in the No. 1 spot over the years.

Don't sleep on the fit for India, either, a former Rookie of the Year who has seen his shine fade a bit over the years. He would give Kansas City a leadoff hitter with some thump who hits home runs, draws walks, and gets on base frequently. He's defensively limited to second base, but the Royals value versatility so they can always shift Michael Massey around the diamond as needed in favor of India's bat.

So could there be demand for Bubic or Marsh, should the Royals decide to trade for a hitter?

Bubic, 27, was a first-round pick of the Royals back in 2018 and has been up in the big leagues since 2020. Up until 2024, he had been functioning exclusively as a starter, but he made all 27 of his appearances this year out of the bullpen, to promising results. The 6-foot-3 southpaw posted a 2.67 ERA and a sparkling 1.95 FIP across 30.1 innings of work, striking out over 11 batters per nine innings along the way. It's easy to see why there would be teams calling on his availability this winter.

Then there's Marsh, who has filled a variety of roles on the Royals' pitching staff dating back to his debut in 2023. The right-hander made 25 starts this season (and one relief appearance), posting a decent-but-not-great 4.53 ERA and 4.34 FIP. Everything about him screams "fifth starter", but there happens to be a ton of teams out there that could use one of those this offseason.

The Royals need to be aggressive this winter. Perhaps a trade is their next big move.