The Royals’ trade deadline picture is starting to come into focus, and the latest conversation on “One Royal Way” made clear that Kansas City has more than one path to consider.
Joel Penfield and Patrick Brennan spent the episode digging into the club’s top trade candidates and the kind of return the Royals should be chasing. At the center of it all was Michael Wacha, a veteran starter both hosts described as one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball. The bigger question, though, is how the rest of the league values him compared with Kansas City.
Wacha should draw interest from contenders, but Brennan doesn’t see that interest turning into an elite prospect haul.
Seth Lugo was another veteran name in the mix, and his contract quickly became part of the discussion. He would fit with just about any contender, but a deal could require the Royals to eat a meaningful chunk of the money still owed to him. That, the hosts said, makes a trade far less likely.
Among the expiring contracts, Lane Thomas emerged as the most obvious candidate to move. Penfield and Brennan pointed to him as the likeliest trade chip, with Brennan naming the Rays, Phillies and Yankees as possible landing spots for the veteran outfielder.
The episode also went beyond the obvious rental pieces. Penfield floated the idea of dealing controllable players if the offer is strong enough, and both Daniel Lynch IV and Michael Massey came up as players whose value may never be higher.
Brennan also pushed a less traditional approach for Kansas City. Instead of aiming mainly for prospects, he suggested the Royals should look for controllable major league players or blocked prospects who could help sooner.
That was the core of the discussion on the latest episode of “One Royal Way” on KC Sports Network.
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Salvador Perez has spent so long as one of the faces of the Royals that any conversation about him naturally carries extra weight, and this one is no different. With Kansas Citys longtime catcher still handling a regular role behind the plate and producing enough power to matter in the lineup, his name has surfaced in the kind of trade chatter that tends to follow veteran catchers this time of year.
Perez, though, has made his preference clear in the simplest way possible by signaling where he wants to stay. Even with other clubs around the league, including some obvious contenders, said to be looking for catching help, the Royals are left navigating a situation that feels bigger than a normal deadline rumor because it involves a player whose future in Kansas City has always meant more than just one season at a time. [Read more 🡒]
Royals May Have Just Lost Their Best Bullpen Trade Chip
The Royals have been open about using the bullpen as a trade-deadline lever as they retool with an eye toward 2027, and Alex Lange had looked like the kind of one-year closer who could bring back something useful. He entered the season as the clubs primary ninth-inning option, showed enough improvement earlier in the year to create some intrigue, and fit the profile of a reliever contenders often ask about when the deadline gets close.
Alex Langes recent stretch has complicated that picture, though, and it leaves Kansas City sorting through a bullpen market that may not be as straightforward as it once seemed. John Schreiber, Matt Strahm and Daniel Lynch IV remain names to watch if the Royals decide to move relief help, with Lynchs breakout season giving the front office another possible path if it wants to maximize value before the deadline. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Suddenly Have An Uncomfortable Trade Deadline Rumor To Watch
Lane Thomas has settled in enough with Kansas City to become a name worth monitoring as the trade deadline approaches, and that alone makes this a tricky subplot for the Royals. He has given the lineup some real pop this season, with a .230 average and 10 home runs, while also showing the kind of versatility that tends to draw attention when contenders start looking for help.
The wrinkle is where the rumor is pointing. Thomas spent time with Cleveland before landing in Kansas City, and ESPN's Buster Olney floated the idea that the Guardians could explore a deal for him, which would make for an awkward bit of midseason business for the Royals to navigate. For a club trying to sort out its own deadline priorities, the possibility of a familiar face coming back into the picture only adds another layer to watch. [Read more 🡒]