The KC Royals may need to find more than just a bat at the MLB trade deadline

Don't blame the Kansas City Royals if, after losing every game on their just-concluded homestand against the Yankees and Athletics, they're relieved to hit the road for Texas, where three contests against the Rangers begin Tuesday evening before three more await the club in Pittsburgh. A brief respite from Kauffman Stadium, where they scored five runs against New York and six against the A's, and averaged less than three per tilt, may be something the Royals welcome.

That Kansas City scored so infrequently is no surprise; indeed, what would have been surprising is if the Royals, losers of 13 of their last 18, had exceeded their season's 3.29 runs per game scoring clip. This is, after all, a team whose continuing failures at the plate are putting their playoff chances in jeopardy. And the arrival of Jac Caglianone earlier this month hasn't changed the fact that acquiring more offensive help is a trade deadline must.

But should landing a big bat be general manager J.J. Picollo's only focus? Although it may seem that way, the man who built the 2024 roster that turned the franchise around could find himself looking to bolster one of his club's greatest strengths — its starting rotation.

How, though, can that be? Why might manager Matt Quatraro's excellent starters — a group boasting the third-best starting ERA in the American League, has worked more innings than 27 of the other 20 major league clubs' starters, and ranks among the big leagues' top10 in WHIP and OBA — need more help?

It's simple. KC's rotation may be developing some cracks.

The KC Royals have a Cole Ragans issue

Picollo needn't look any further than Ragans for a reason to consider adding a starter before the July 31 trade deadline limits his club's down-the-stretch options. Ragans simply isn't the pitcher he was last season, when he went 11-4 with a 3.14 ERA and earned his first All-Star Game berth. Instead, Ragans' ERA has ballooned to 5.18, he's won only two of his 10 starts, and only a pair of those starts are of the quality variety.

Many will cite injuries as the underlying cause of his sudden troubles. And that's fair — Ragans missed almost three weeks with a groin strain, and a rotator cuff strain forced him back to IL last week. When he'll return isn't known, but rotator cuff injuries — even short of tears — have been known to sideline pitchers for extended periods. That alone may move Picollo to seek rotation insurance.

2 KC Royals starters have been phenomenal, but can they sustain it?

Despite their recent propensity to lose, the Royals are still in the hunt for an AL Wild Card berth. But they wouldn't be there without Kris Bubic and rookie Noah Cameron. Bubic has a 1.92 ERA and 5-4 record in 13 starts while Cameron is 2-2 with a 1.91 ERA through seven starts. Both have been so good that Bubic finds himself in the Cy Young award conversation and Cameron could, with a few more stellar outings, work his way in.

That doesn't mean, however, that all will remain as it is now. Bubic broke in during the short 2020 campaign but hadn't distinguished himself as a consistently good starter until this season (in fairness, he missed most of 2023 and worked exclusively out of the bullpen last year), and Cameron's big league success is limited to seven starts. And both were rocked during last week's horrendous home stand — the Yankees tagged Bubic for five runs in 4.1 innings, and Cameron was charged with six runs on seven hits (including a pair of homers) in two innings against the Yanks.

Bubic could bounce back during the Texas series (he's scheduled to pitch Wednesday night) and Cameron rebounded nicely with five scoreless but no-decision innings against the A's Sunday. But should either falter badly again, KC can't take anything for granted.

Michael Lorenzen's place in the KC Royals rotation shouldn't be secure

And then there's Lorenzen, whose 7.36 May ERA and seven runs he surrendered to the Cardinals in just 2.2 early-month innings can't be ignored. Nor are the Royals in a position to shrug off his 4-7, 4.91 ERA season record. His numbers should have him on the bubble, perhaps closer to the bullpen than the rotation.

Those who feel otherwise may be caught up in how Lorenzen performed after he became a Royal via a 2024 trade deadline deal with the Rangers. Despite spending almost a month on the IL with a post-trade hamstring problem, he held opponents to only five runs in 28.2 innings and won both of his decisions.

But that was then, this is now, and the Royals don't have much margin for rotation errors if they're going to harbor realistic notions of landing a second straight postseason spot. If not snapped, Lorenzen's current slump should compel Picollo to think about finding rotation help.

Could Kyle Wright be the answer for the Royals?

Possibly. The former 21-game winner pitched four scoreless rehabilitation assignment innings for Triple-A Omaha Sunday, and could soon make his Kansas City debut. But immediately and effectively plugging a potential rotation hole might be a bit much to ask for a hurler who hasn't worked in a big league game since 2023. He may not be quite ready to assume a major starting role.

Best, then, for Picollo to prepare for the possibility that he'll be seeking more than just a big hitter as the trade deadline nears.