Why this AL East club should call Royals about overlooked second baseman

The Tampa Bay Rays are not what any baseball fan would call a splash-oriented team. The club has not reached that championship mountaintop, but it is known for making smart transactions more often than not.

That is why baseball fans reacted the way they did when Tampa Bay sent second baseman Brandon Lowe and other players to the Pittsburgh Pirates this past week. The three players they sent out all had apparent value, so why would the Rays want to move on from them? These trades usually work out in Tampa Bay’s favor, but only time will tell.

The move, which also sent outfielder Jake Mangum and pitcher Mason Montgomery to Pittsburgh, opened up a glaring hole in the Rays’ lineup.

Lowe has been a thumper from the left side, adding 31 home runs and another All-Star appearance to his name this past season. His production will be sorely missed and even for the Rays, there is not a player you can point to and say they are the successor for now.

That is where the Kansas City Royals can come in with second baseman Michael Massey.

Could the Rays and Royals find a trade centered around Michael Massey?

Massey, a poster child of what I call "the If Corps", is coming off a down 2025 season, whether you look at his batting production or his overall availability. The Illinois alum could not catch a health break this season and only appeared in 77 games for the Royals.

Even when he was available, Massey’s bat was rarely potent, as he accumulated a 57 wRC+ and .244/.268/.313 line across 277 plate appearances. He is part of this growing group of Royals second basemen who are good enough for big league action but not so good that Kansas City can’t improve upon them as everyday options.

But, entering his age-28 season, Massey is in what should be his athletic prime with three years of team control remaining. Kansas City already knew about his back problems possibly limiting his playing career, and his health last season casts even further doubt.

Meanwhile, the Rays have switch-hitting Taylor Walls and then a cliff in their second-base picture. They have versatility, depth pieces, and creative solutions, but not even a fringy everyday answer who can hold the job without growing pains.

Tampa Bay loves its matchups, and if it leans into that with Walls and Massey, could the Rays create a solution at second base? Tampa Bay doesn’t need a star. It needs ability, upside, and cost control. Massey checks all three boxes.

Any Massey trade would hopefully value him closer to his 2024 production rather than his 2025 season. Even though he only appeared in 100 games in 2024, he had a career-high 1.5 fWAR and 104 wRC+.

He did most of his damage to his pull side, with his career 26.0% Pull Air% nearly 10 percent higher than the league average. He and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino have made Royals fans excited again to see balls depositing into the Royals bullpen at Kauffman Stadium. But that task, putting one over the fence down the right-field line, would be even easier in Tampa Bay.

Massey’s power profile plays extremely well in the AL East, particularly at Tropicana Field. If Massey had played his entire career there, he would have an expected 44 home runs, compared to 29 in Kauffman Stadium.

His expected home run numbers in Kansas City are his worst, while the AL East clubs (Yankees, 50; Orioles, 43) rank among his best. His pull-side pop and line-drive approach are well suited to the park’s dimensions, and Tampa Bay has shown it knows how to maximize those traits.

Kansas City, meanwhile, has a different problem. The Royals are overloaded with second basemen and middle-infield types who project in roughly the same tier. Massey, Jonathan India, Nick Loftin, and others all bring similar skill sets and questions.

At some point, that redundancy creates an opportunity. The Royals could afford to move Massey, whether it be as part of a package or as a one-for-prospects move.

This wouldn’t be a headline-grabbing trade. It would be a very Rays trade. Fill a quiet need, take advantage of another club’s surplus, and bet on upside that hasn’t fully shown yet. For Tampa Bay, calling Kansas City about Massey just makes too much sense not to explore.