As of writing this article, the MLB trade deadline is tomorrow and the Royals are in the thick of the playoff arms race. After taking a page out of last year's playbook and trading with the Rangers the Royals have added a good arm for the rotation in Micheal Lorenzen who is 5-6 this year with a 3.81 ERA which would be fifth for all starters currently on the Royals this year. The order is Lugo, Singer, Reagans, Wacha, Lorenzen, and Marsh. This however has not fixed issues that have shown their heads this year. Namely, a lack of pop from the outfield this year, which has become less of a problem as the year has gone on thanks to known Mississippi State Bulldog Hunter Renfroe coming alive since June and Kyle Isbel showing why he is my favorite player on the team by turning his year around. However left field is the biggest weakness whether it is MJ who is hitting a putrid .193 this year or Nelson Velazquez who has been sent back down to the minors. Beyond the left field, the bullpen has been consistent in one thing and that is going from “Wow that was good” to “Wow we may never win a game again” The poster child for this has been a man I like to call General James McArthur. McArthur who has taken the closer duties after Will Smith struggled out the gates, has pitched the 6th most innings on the team this year. Now ordinally you would think that's good that the closer has the 6th most innings pitched, however, the 41.1 innings pitched is in 39 appearances with a 5.44 ERA. In 22 save opportunities, McArthur has 17 saves. So, with that in mind here are my top 7 targets I think the Royals should go after and in order as to who I would go after the most.
7. Matt Chapman from SF for MJ and Blanco. Now look I know I said nothing about the infield being a problem however improvements can be made over Garcia at third base even if it’s just a rental. Chapman will be a free agent after this year however he is hitting .242 which is over a 10-point increase from Garcia Chapman also has 15 home runs this year which would be third on the Royals this year behind Salvy and Bobby. Overall, this is probably the least likely due to there being little to no noise about the Giants being open to trading Chapman.
6. Tanner Scott from MIA for Will Klein, Nick Pratto, and Nelson Velazquez. This one has a lot of smoke around it however when you look at the stats for Scott beyond his ERA which is 1.18. He has comparable stats to McArthur's 6-5 record with 18 saves the benefit he has is that Scott is 18 for 20 in save opportunities this year, however, there are a lot of teams looking at the All-Star and I think the Royals have better options elsewhere for much else.
5. Cal Quantrill from COL for Lynch, and John McMillion. This is possibly the second sneakiest move the Royal could make as the righty has been a rock for the Rockies rotation. 4.09 ERA 7-7 on the year through 114.1 innings this year. Now you have to remember that the ERA is a little bloated due to where Cal plays his home games. Quantrill coming out of the bullpen could be the right juice the Royals need in the late innings. However, I don’t see the Rockies being willing to part ways with their ace.
4. Taylor Ward from LAA for Ramon Ramirez and Carson Roccaforte. Another one that has been connected to the Royals throughout the trade deadline. Ward is a power bat with 16 Home runs and would again be third on the team. However, a .227 batting average makes him less attractive of an option compared to another on this list. This is a move that in all likelihood hinges on how the Angels want to go into the final day.
3. Pete Fairbanks from TB for John McMillion, Will Klein, and Nick Pratto. A true son returns to Missouri to help the Royals get over the hump. Fairbanks has been a solid option coming out of the bullpen for the Rays this year 3.11 ERA while he is 2-3 and 20 for 22 in saves. Fairbanks has two saves against the Royals this year so it would be nice if he would pick up some saves for the Royals. Fairbanks is a hot commodity this deadline and even tho he is under contract through 2026 the Royals shouldn’t overpay.
2. Brent Rooker and Scott Alexander from OAK for Nick Pratto, Tyler Gentry, Will Klein, John McMillion, and MJ Melendez. Yes yes, I know I cheated a little bit on this one, but The former Royals who since leaving have set Oakland on fire almost as much as the A’s ownership (SELL THE TEAM). Rooker is by far the biggest big game the Royals are tied to for hitting. Batting .296 with 26 home runs and a OPS of .957 Rooker is THE missing piece for the Royals. A solid left fielder that makes too much sense for the Royals to go after. Alexander is the holding master to set up anyone to come out of the pen. Alexander is 1-2 on the year with 2 blown saves and 6 holds with a 2.82 ERA. Unfortunately, the A’s are not sold on trading Rooker, or Alexander away this year so the Royals should make them an offer they can’t refuse.
1. Garrett Cleavinger from TOR for John McMillion, and Tyler Gentry. The single most sensible trade the Royals could make this year. Cleavinger is a Lawrence native who is having a solid year for the Jays. 7 and 2 record with a 3.21 ERA in 42 innings pitched in 47 appearances with 3 saves and 8 holds. The perfect setup man for a closer (possibly either Fairbanks or Alexander) this is the single most sneaky move the Royals could make to improve the bullpen not with duct tape but with a perfect weld job.
So those are my top 7 ish targets for the Royals to go after and how I rank them.
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