​Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a quarterly survey of fans across Major League Baseball. Throughout the year, we poll the most plugged-in Kansas City Royals followers and fans from around the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. Earlier this week, we asked how many Royals players the team should trade ahead of the deadline. A striking 92% of respondents believed the Royals needed to trade at least three players by the deadline. While that majority isn’t surprising, what stands out is that a sizable share didn’t reach five or more votes. When I drafted the poll, I hadn’t fully realized how many tradeable pieces the Royals at least potentially possess. I added a longer list after the initial post to help me decide how I would vote.
For those who don’t remember or prefer not to click through, here’s a recap of the potentially tradeable Royals: players under expiring contracts; and players who could be considered valuable veterans whose contracts do not expire at season’s end. There are at least four healthy players in the expiring-contract group, and five if Bubic can regain form. In other words, nearly as many fans as not seem content keeping every possible asset for 2025 as think the team should move at least one.
Personally, I align with the roughly 43% who voted for five or more trades. On the latest Royals Rundown podcast, I argued that the Royals should clear out their bullpen. No reliever has been consistently good enough to justify bringing them back next year, and any return value—whether from veteran relievers or promising young arms who could develop into late-inning stalwarts—would be a win. The only relievers I’d seriously consider keeping for next season are Steven Cruz and Beck Way, and perhaps Luinder Avila if you count him as a reliever.
On Wacha, I suspect his trade value is peaking, but the Royals may not be blown away by any offer. If they could move him and use the opportunity to add a solid free-agent signing to address starting depth, that would make sense. It’s not that I dislike Wacha; it’s that the Royals have shown they can source starting pitching in a variety of ways. If they could swap Wacha for a strong prospect or multiple pieces to address multiple holes, that would be prudent. The prevailing rumor is that the Royals would need a truly exceptional offer to part with him, and historically they haven’t been blown away by offers. So he may stay, which wouldn’t be the worst outcome in the world—provided they don’t also cling to all of their controllable relievers, which would be frustrating.
These considerations, and more, shape my thinking as we head toward the trade deadline. If you’re looking to improve search-engine visibility, this piece is structured to reflect the trade notions and roster pivots that fans are discussing, while staying true to the Royals’ evolving roster dynamics.