It’s becoming abundantly clear that the Royals are involved in all sorts of discussions on the trade front this offseason, which makes sense. The free agent market is lacking in marquee players and the team claims they’re lacking in money. Put it together and trades are the name of the game. Whether it’s to help the team win in 2017, after 2018, or maybe both, the Royals have some assets they can deal to potentially further either or both causes. While the depth is slim at this point, there is some talent capital to work with.
With that in mind, let’s rank the top 10 Royals trade assets.
10. Josh Staumont – He was recently ranked as the number one prospect in the organization by Baseball America, and with good reason. He has an electric fastball and a curve that just won’t quit. He has a starter’s body and if the repertoire progresses enough, he should be able to stick in the rotation long-term. He isn’t without his issues, though, as his control problems seem to be getting better, but he still walked 7.6 batters per nine innings during the 2016 season. He was one of the stars of the Arizona Fall League, though, and carries some weight. As someone who hasn’t even made his debut yet, he has six years of big league control left ahead of him, so even if he’s “just” a power reliever, he’s valuable. Trading Staumont would be a win-now move, but could pay big dividends in 2017.
9. Matt Strahm – He’s another pitcher who might fit as a starter or as a reliever, but the difference here is that we know Strahm can succeed in the big leagues after posting a 1.23 ERA and striking out more than 12 per nine innings in his 22 big league frames. He did struggle with control in the big leagues, but he’s done well with command in his minor league days. It appears Strahm will get a chance to start for the Royals in 2017, but another team could look at him almost like Andrew Miller-lite, but with six years of team control and three years of team controlled contracts before he even considers getting expensive. He is more of a win-now move, but could also bring back a piece that could help beyond 2017.
8. Jarrod Dyson – The long-time Royal has received lots of interest on the trade market, but I still don’t get why they’d trade him. Of course, the reason I don’t think they should trade him is why he has value. He’s cheap (projected to earn just $2.5 million in 2017) and valuable (worth 7.9 WARP over the last five seasons in just 506 games). Dyson can play all three outfield positions and excels at all of them. He’s a hitter with plate discipline and he has blazing speed on the bases. He’s miscast as an every day player, but on the strong side of a platoon, he has a chance to really help a team out. As a free agent following the season and with his limitations, he probably doesn’t bring back a huge haul, but I think he’s a player who would be traded with an eye on the future.
7. Danny Duffy – In my first iteration of this list, I had Duffy much higher, but then I thought it through and realized that there are issues with trading for Duffy. For one, the issues that we all see with him are issues other teams will see. He’s never started for a full season and he’s a free agent after the year. I’d be surprised if teams will give up a huge haul for Duffy given those questions around him, but at the same time, he pitched like an ace for a big chunk of the 2016 season. His rough finish might give some pause, but he’s very valuable. Trading Duffy would be no doubt a move for the future given his value to the 2017 team and what he can bring back. He’s projected to earn $8.2 million in arbitration, so if he ends up as a stud reliever instead, that’s still reasonable money given the market.
6. Raul Mondesi – The shine isn’t exactly off Mondesi, but it’s starting to maybe show some signs of wear. In his brief big league time, he showed how he can be a dynamic player who could develop into one of the game’s best, but he also hasn’t hit really anywhere and is getting closer and closer to not being young for his league anymore. Still, he is young for his league though and still has superstar upside with a huge chance of reaching it, but that’s why he’s sitting at sixth and not in the top two or three of this list. Any team trading for him could, after a little more minor league time, put him at shortstop for the next four to six years and be thrilled with the defense and hope the offense comes around. He’d bring back a big enough haul that he could likely help 2017 and beyond.
5. Lorenzo Cain – I don’t think the return on Cain would fit what a guy who finished third in MVP voting just the season before last should be, but I don’t see a massive haul for him. He’s an excellent defensive outfielder who can hit for a high average and has shown the ability to hit for some power at times in his career. The issue is the injuries and the fact that he’s been an average to slightly above average hitter for much of his career with 2015 as the exception. His defense is good enough to make him extremely valuable even as just an average hitter, but I wonder how long the defense will last given his leg issues. The nice thing is that I think his value is actually higher on a one-year deal than if he had two or three given the long-term questions about him. If you trade Cain, you’re trading for the future, though.
4. Yordano Ventura – He hasn’t really put it together since his rookie season, but Ventura is guaranteed just under $21 million through the 2019 season with two very reasonable team options in 2020 and 2021 that will pay him just $12 million each. Given the nature of the market, if the Royals were to look to trade Ventura, they’d get hits from basically every team in baseball with only a few exceptions. He takes the hill just about every fifth day and even in his struggles has been an average pitcher over the last two seasons. Average with tantalizing upside gets paid in trades. Plus, given his relatively small salary, if a team wants to try him as a shutdown reliever, he wouldn’t be overpaid in that role, even in his option years. Ventura is an extremely valuable commodity even with his issues the last two years. Trading him signals a move for the future.
3. Kelvin Herrera – I don’t think Herrera is more valuable than Ventura as a player, but given the market for relievers, he is probably more valuable in a trade. You put Herrera into a closer’s role and he’s instantly one of the eight or 10 best in baseball. He strikes hitters out, he doesn’t walk them and he doesn’t give up hits. That fits the profile. He can throw 99 mph on one pitch and then freeze a hitter with a slider on the next. I haven’t even mentioned his world class changeup yet. He’s proven to be quite durable as a reliever throughout his career, and with just two years left before free agency, a team isn’t going to be on the hook for a long-term deal when he might break down. He’s projected to earn $5.3 million in 2017. If he closes this year, I’m guessing that number will be about $10 million in 2018. Let’s call it a $16 million commitment for two seasons for one of the best closers in baseball. Yes, teams will line up. Moving him could be both a win-now move and a win later move, but if they move him and number two on the list, it’s completely a win later move.
2. Wade Davis – Since the Royals moved Davis to the bullpen, he’s gone 21-5 with a 1.17 ERA and 47 saves in 192 games spanning 192.2 innings. He’s struck out 241 and walked 63 while giving up 107 hits and three home runs. Davis is owed just $10 million for one season, which in this market is an absolute steal. For a team not interested in spending four or five years (or even six) on Kenley Jansen or Aroldis Chapman, Davis is the perfect pitcher. The only question about him is health as he had forearm issues in 2016 that caused him to hit the disabled list twice. Still, the Royals are looking to trade Davis and they are looking to get back big time pieces to the puzzle. I’m talking a big league (or almost) ready starting pitcher and a bat who can slot into the lineup in 2017. If they only trade him, it can be a win-now move and a win later move. If they trade him and Herrera, it’s a win later move.
1. Salvador Perez – Perez isn’t getting traded. But if he did, he’d bring back a massive haul. His deal isn’t quite as friendly as it once was, but Perez has become one of the stars in baseball and is one of the five or six best catchers in the game. His value is dinged a bit by his pitch framing, but catchers who hit 20+ home runs and can get behind the plate every day don’t grow on trees. Plus, even with his contract not quite as friendly, he’s still owed $52.5 million over the next five seasons, which really isn’t very much when you consider what some catchers are getting as free agents. Perez is no longer one of the most valuable commodities to trade in baseball, but he’s the most valuable commodity on the Royals. If he’s dealt, that’s a building move for sure.
So that’s it. There’s your top ten Royals trade assets. You may notice a couple missing piece, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas. They’re probably 11 and 12, if we’re being honest, in that order. Moustakas is coming off a major injury and Hosmer is a first baseman who hasn’t hit that well and is due $13.3 million before hitting free agency. I think both would bring back pieces, but neither is in the top 10 for the Royals.