What it would take for the Royals to bring two of the best shortstops in baseball together

The Kansas City Royals already have one of the best shortstops in baseball. Bobby Witt Jr. has become a face of the league for being a true five-tool player. His 33.6 fWAR is the seventh-most for a shortstop through their age-26 season in MLB history. Having him puts the Royals in contention every season, but what if they had two of the game's best shortstops?

According to Jim Bowden, the Reds are "absolutely" willing to consider trading their superstar shortstop, Elly De La Cruz. Imagine what it would be like to have him and Witt sharing a lineup and sharing the diamond.

The 24-year-old has also had a historic start to his career. He has the 11th most fWAR for a player through age 24, two places ahead of Witt at that point. De La Cruz isn't a free agent until after the 2029 season; that would give him and Witt three seasons to play together. Three years of team control also means the cost of a trade would be sky-high, but the Royals may actually have the pieces to make it work.

What would the Royals need to give up in a package for Elly De La Cruz?

The headlining piece in the return would need to be Maikel Garcia. The 26-year-old showed just how good he can be in 2025 with his 5.8 bWAR season. He hit 39 doubles, five triples, and 16 home runs while hitting .286. He also won the Gold Glove at third base. Injuries hampered his 2026 season, but he was still worth 2.2 WAR in 2026 in just 82 games.

Garcia's extension is what would make him such an enticing return for De La Cruz. The Reds notoriously keep a low payroll, and Garcia's contract does not carry a high AAV. The fact that the Reds would have him likely through 2031 because of the club option, two years longer than they would have De La Cruz, would be enough for them to say yes to taking him. It would be similar to the Reds taking on Ke'Bryan Hayes' contract.

Outside of Garcia, the Royals would need to use at least one of their top two prospects: Kendry Chourio or Angiebel Gomez. De La Cruz is still one of the best players in the game, and convincing the Reds to give him up is going to take a lot. Then, it would take someone in the four-to-eight range in their top prospects.

The chance to pair Bobby Witt Jr. with Elly De La Cruz is something that Kansas City really needs to consider. While one player can't fix an entire baseball team, and there would be the issue of moving one off of their natural position, that would be one of the scariest one-two punches in baseball. The trade cost would be high, but the Royals could be in a place to make it happen.

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