Why Royals' front office relationships could matter during trade deadline

The Royals have shown they are "all in" on being contenders this year, acquiring Randal Grichuk from the Diamondbacks and Adam Frazier from the Pirates. They only sit 3.5 games back of the third wild card spot in the American League, with only Cleveland, Texas, and Seattle in their way.

With the Royals' recent series win against the Braves, the lineup is still in need of reinforcements if they want to be serious about competing for a playoff spot. Although they finished July with a 15-9 record and the offense has scored 4.9 runs per game in July, it feels like they need to make another move to shore up the outfield or add a cost-effective arm with injuries piling up.

Royals General Manager J.J. Picollo has been insightful when asked about what direction the team will take, as the deadline creeps into the final hours.

"To trade prospects right now, it definitely would have to be somebody with control and of quality. Somebody that is going to be impactful to our major league team. We are going to be open to those ideas, whether it is now or in the off-season."

J.J. Picollo on 96.5 The Fan

One thing the Royals have working in their favor is their elite front office. J.J. Picollo, along with team owner John Sherman, has shown quite a different approach to roster building than the previous regime (or any other regime in Royals history).

For all the scar tissue that Royals fans have endured over the years, the Picollo and Sherman tenure has been a breath of fresh air. I've followed the Royals since 2003, and I've never seen the Royals prioritize re-signing their own players as much as they have the last few years.

It seems that players legitimately want to stay in Kansas City because of the reputation of how the organization treat their players.

They extended Bobby Witt Jr and locked up Michael Wacha in 2024, letting the league know that they were serious about keeping their best players in Kansas City. Picollo and Sherman's desire to retain their own players and build relationships with players outside the organization is one of the biggest reasons why the Royals went from 106 losses in 2023 to 86 wins in 2024.

Fans hoping the Royals will continue their shopping spree into this afternoon could get their wish. They signed their best trade chip, Seth Lugo, to a two-year extension worth up to $46 million to keep him in KC, and have told us they want to win now, not wait until 2026.

That move all but signaled the green light to the Royals chasing that last wild card spot in the AL.

Who could the Royals' next trade partner be at the deadline?

Trades aren't just built off of a team's needs and wants; they're often based on relationships and connections that team's GMs have with one another.

That is another advantage the Royals have with their front office having solid relationships around the league. Just like in the real world, it's about who you know, not always what you know.

The Royals have made 42 total trades since the 2019-2020 season. As Zack Meisel and Yuriko Schumacher of The Athletic outlined this week, their most frequent trade partner (six trades) during that span is, of course, the Atlanta Braves, with whom former Royals GM Dayton Moore and current GM J.J. Picollo both started their careers. Not to mention John Schuerholz, who was the Braves GM from 1990 to 2007 and President from 2007-2016, was the Royals General Manager from 1982-1990.

Next are the Padres (four trades) and Red Sox (four trades), and then the Rangers have made deals with the Royals three times. It was the Royals' relationship with Texas Rangers President Chris Young, a former player under J.J. Picollo in Kansas City, that made the trade for Cole Ragans a smooth process.

The Rangers and Royals have the history and could present themselves as trade partners once again. The Athletic listed KC as a possible fit for Adolis Garcia if he becomes available.

“We could just have very direct dialogue,” Young said, where we knew whatever said to each other was not going to be filed away and held against us in the next deal.”

Garcia would fit exactly what the Royals are looking for in a power bat with team control in 2026, but it's difficult to see the Rangers selling while they are tied for the last WC spot and only five games back of their division.

Then there's the trusty Braves, who have an outfield bat that already made a splash in Kansas City over the last few days. Marcell Ozuna showed off his power stroke during the Royals and Braves series, clubbing two dingers in three games.

To acquire him, the Royals would probably pull from their catching depth and include a name like Ramon Ramirez and a high-upside arm like Ben Kurdna or David Shields.

There has never been a time in my Royals fandom that I have been more confident in the front office than right now. They have given us reasons to trust their instincts with trades and deserve the benefit of the doubt with the players they bring in.

"We know where the strengths of our organization are, where the depth is, and fortunately for us, it is in positions that teams will value."

J.J. Picollo - Royals GM

They've done a solid job of acquiring players that fill a void the team is missing. Fraizer brought a veteran presence, something KC was sorely lacking, and locker room camaraderie that culminated from his time with KC last season.

Grichuk brings the same veteran reliability with some power to a lineup that desperately needed production in the middle of the order.

There's no reason to doubt that the front office has identified its next target; whether it happens today before the final deadline buzzer rings or in the off-season. It's refreshing to have faith in the Royals organization again.