This KC Royals draft pick just put this top prospect on the trade block

After the busy weekend that was, the 2025 MLB Draft has come and gone and is officially in the rearview mirror.

The Kansas City Royals had a successful first day on Sunday, highlighted by the pair of prepsters they selected with their two Top 30 picks - Sean Gamble at pick No. 23 and Josh Hammond at pick No. 28.

There was plenty left for J.J. Picollo and his staff to do in Day 2 with 17 picks still left to be made. Of those 17 picks though there was one that stood out as a potential eye opener to the Royals' trade deadline plans. This came in the eighth-round when the Royals selected Brooks Bryan, a collegiate catcher from Troy University.

It's well documented that Kansas City has a wealth of catching depth at their disposal. And said catching depth has been pegged as a potential asset for the front office to trade from at the deadline, should the Royals be in a position to buy come July 31.

This means, adding a solid college catcher like Bryan could mean the exit of one of their four catching prospects that fall within their Top 30 (as per MLB Pipeline), particularly their third highest ranked backstop in Ramon Ramirez.

KC Royals selecting Brooks Bryan just put Ramon Ramirez on the trade block

At this point there are likely few prospects the Royals deem as totally untouchable (minus Jac Caglianone, but he'll be graduating soon) in their dire search to upgrade this major league offense.

However, I don't think the presence of Bryan will really motivate Picollo to deal one of his two Top 100 catchers in Blake Mitchell or Carter Jensen. If he were to select a catcher in the opening round or two, perhaps it would set up a major move including one of those top names, but a mid-Day 2 pick represents more of a threat to the organizational future of those within the depth of the system more than anything.

This puts a name like Ramirez, the Royals ninth ranked prospect, potentially on the hot seat.

Ramirez is finally on the mend and on a rehab assignment after being on the shelf since the end of May. Before his injury, he was having quite the season in Low-A Columbia with an .838 OPS and 136 wRC+.

The issue here is, the Royals catching situation at the major league level isn't getting any younger as Salvador Perez is slowly playing less catcher with age. And with Carter Jensen and Blake Mitchell both holding higher potential and shorter ETAs - 2026 and 2027 respectively as per MLB Pipeline - Ramirez at 20-years-old with a 2028 ETA, but still a Top 10 organizational prospect, could be an enticing return option for selling-oriented trade partners and an enticing asset for the Royals to sell to them at the deadline.

Bryan, at 21 years of age already, could present a powerful left handed hitting catching option for the Royals with perhaps a similar ETA to Ramirez when he's officially added to the prospect ranks.

Looking a bit deeper now at Bryan as a pick, he presents a potential steal in the eighth round at pick No. 248. He was one of Pipeline's Top 250 draft prospects at No. 185. Bryan also has some favorable tools to build off of, with Pipeline grading his power tool at a 50 and his arm at a 55. His hit tool and his overall fielding ability behind the plate outside of his arm will need to be developed, with 40 and 45 grades respectively.

It remains to be seen where he'll rank in the Royals system and whether or not his presence will shake up the system ahead of the deadline, but it undoubtedly adds an interesting wrinkle to the month of July.