With the Aug. 3 trade deadline approaching, the Royals are sitting in an uncomfortable spot and could wind up in seller mode. Kansas City has players who make sense as trade chips on paper, including relievers Daniel Lynch IV and John Schreiber and starter Michael Wacha. If the Royals go even further and turn it into a full fire sale, moving names such as Lane Thomas, Starling Marte, Alex Lange and others, that would leave manager Matt Quatraro with a batch of open roster spots and a handful of jobs to sort out.
For the players who are likely to stay, that kind of purge could be either an opening or a trap. Some would get a chance to seize a bigger role.
Others might be asked to fill a spot they are not ready for. Either way, three Royals stand out as the biggest potential beneficiaries if the deadline gets messy.
Isaac Collins is the clearest name to watch. Anne Rogers of MLB.com recently detailed his season-long turnaround, and it really has been a tale of two halves. Collins opened the year well below expectations after being viewed as the headline outfield addition from the offseason, but he has since become one of the most productive bats in the lineup’s recent surge.
Since June 1, Collins is hitting .273/.354/.427 with 16 RBI and 18 RBI across 45 games. His 118 wRC+ in that stretch trails only Jac Caglianone and Michael Massey on the team. That is a major shift from the 188 plate appearances before June 1, when Collins posted an 88 wRC+ while drawing more walks but showing less power and more strikeouts.
He should already be playing every day if he is healthy, and if Thomas is moved, Collins could move higher in the order. If Marte is also dealt, the opportunity only grows.
Kansas City still controls Collins for a few more years, so he is also the kind of player a team could consider moving. But if he remains in the clubhouse, he looks set up to finish the season on a much stronger note than the one he started with.
Steven Cruz is another player who could benefit quickly if the bullpen gets thinned out. He took a loss against the Tigers after giving up a go-ahead double in the series opener, but that one outing should not erase the progress he has made. He followed it with a save on Sunday, which only adds to the case that there is more here.
The Royals’ relief corps has been a mess overall, with a 5.24 FIP and -3.1 fWAR that rank last in MLB. Cruz has not been immune to that season-long struggle, sitting at a career-worst 5.74 FIP and -0.4 fWAR over 36.0 innings.
But the recent stretch tells a different story. Over his last 23.0 innings, he has posted a 2.18 ERA and 3.30 FIP, the best run of any qualified Royals reliever, even better than trade candidate Daniel Lynch IV.
Cruz still has solid strikeout numbers, and before Sunday he had not walked a batter since July 6, the longest walkless streak of his career. He is also one of only two pitchers in baseball to inherit at least 10 runners and strand all of them.
If Lange, Lynch, Schreiber or others are moved, Cruz has a real path to more high-leverage work, especially with Lucas Erceg struggling. He already picked up his second save of the season Sunday, and more chances like that could be coming.
Then there is Luinder Avila, whose long-term home still looks more like the bullpen, even if the Royals keep talking about his starting potential. That conversation matters now because the rest of the season is shaping up as a shorter-term evaluation for 2027 and beyond. If Avila is going to show he can hold up as a starter, this is the time, particularly if Wacha is traded.
Avila has never been the most consistent starter in his pro career, no matter the level. At times he has looked like an elite pitching prospect, but injuries and inconsistency have followed him. Those health issues over the last two seasons pushed him to the majors, where flashes of that upside showed up, but so did the same questions.
He worked exclusively out of the bullpen last season, but Kansas City needs innings and Avila can provide them. He has appeared in 20 games and thrown 67.1 innings this year, with a 4.81 ERA and 4.34 FIP. That is not enough to lock him into a 2027 Opening Day rotation spot, though his last 35.1 innings have been better, with a 3.70 FIP and 3.57 ERA as he has done a better job limiting walks and home runs.
Avila always seems one move away from being pushed back into relief, but if Wacha goes, or even if Seth Lugo is dealt, he would almost certainly finish the season in the rotation.
In Other News...
Royals Fans May Not Like Where This Lane Thomas Buzz Is Going
Lane Thomas has been a useful piece for Kansas City since arriving, giving the Royals another right-handed bat and some real pop in the middle of the season. In 92 games, he has supplied 10 home runs, which is the kind of production that can make him appealing to a contender looking for a lineup upgrade without having to chase a bigger name.
Now the buzz around him is drifting into uncomfortable territory for Royals fans, because Cleveland is said to be exploring a move that would bring Thomas back into the fold. The fit is obvious on paper, especially for a Guardians club that could use another right-handed option in the outfield or at designated hitter, but the idea also comes with a little extra sting after Thomas chose Kansas City over Cleveland last winter. [Read more 🡒]
Royals May Finally Have The Outfield Answer Fans Wanted
As the trade deadline nears, the Royals are at least considering a roster shuffle that could open the door for another look at Gavin Cross. With Lane Thomas among the players who could be moved, Kansas City has a chance to turn a deadline decision into an evaluation of one of its former first-round picks, and Cross has put himself back into the conversation with his work at Triple-A Omaha.
The 2022 first-rounder has been one of the brighter spots in the organization lately, enough to remind the Royals why they invested in him in the first place. If Kansas City does create an opening in the outfield, the question becomes less about whether Cross has earned attention and more about how quickly the club is willing to test him against major league pitching. [Read more 🡒]