The Royals already have a franchise shortstop in Bobby Witt Jr., but the idea of adding another elite one to the mix is the kind of thought experiment that gets attention fast. Witt has already put together a star-level resume, with 33.6 fWAR that ranks seventh all-time for a shortstop through age 26.
That alone gives Kansas City a centerpiece. The question here is whether the Royals could somehow turn that strength into something even louder.
The name at the center of it is Elly De La Cruz. Jim Bowden said the Reds are “absolutely” willing to consider trading their superstar shortstop, and that opens the door to a wild possibility: De La Cruz and Witt in the same lineup, on the same diamond, at the same time.
De La Cruz has built his own historic start, posting the 11th most fWAR for a player through age 24, two spots ahead of where Witt stood at that point in his career. He is not a free agent until after the 2029 season, which would give the Royals and Reds three seasons of overlap if a deal ever happened.
That kind of control would drive the price way up, and any serious offer would have to start with Maikel Garcia. Garcia’s 2025 season gave a clear picture of why he would be the headliner in a deal: a 5.8 bWAR year, 39 doubles, five triples, 16 home runs, and a .286 average, plus a Gold Glove at third base. Injuries slowed him in 2026, but he still managed 2.2 WAR in only 82 games.
His extension makes him even more attractive in a trade framework. The Reds have long operated with a low payroll, and Garcia’s deal does not come with a high AAV.
Because of the club option, Cincinnati could have him likely through 2031, two years longer than De La Cruz. That kind of cost control could be enough to get the Reds to bite, in a setup similar to them taking on Ke’Bryan Hayes’ contract.
Even with Garcia in the package, Kansas City would still have to add more. At least one of its top two prospects, Kendry Chourio or Angiebel Gomez, would need to be included, and probably someone from the four-to-eight range in the system as well. De La Cruz is too good for Cincinnati to move cheaply.
Still, the fit is obvious enough to make the Royals think hard about it. One player won’t solve everything, and there would be the challenge of shifting someone off his natural position, but a Witt-De La Cruz pairing would be one of the most intimidating one-two punches in baseball. The cost would be steep, but Kansas City may have enough to at least make the conversation real.
In Other News...
Royals Just Opened The Door To Losing Familiar Depth Pieces
The Royals offseason roster churn has already started to thin out familiar names from the organizations depth chart. Twelve minor league players became free agents after not being added to the 40-man roster following six seasons, a group that includes reliever Alex Lange along with Scott Alexander, Christian Chamberlain and Grant Gambrell, among others. For a club that has spent the past few years trying to build out reliable pitching and bench depth, these are the kinds of departures that can quietly matter.
Across baseball, 504 players hit minor league free agency this offseason and are now eligible to sign with any team, which only adds to the sense that Kansas City will have some filling in to do. Some of these players have been around the Royals system long enough to feel like part of the furniture, and even if not all of them were likely to factor into the big league picture, the organization is losing a layer of experience it has leaned on before. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Have A Cheap Rotation Decision Worth Watching
Randy Dobnak emerged as a useful arm for the Royals in the second half of last season, giving the club a steady look in the rotation and logging a career-high 74.1 innings with a 3.51 ERA. The appeal is easy to see for a team always weighing pitching depth against payroll flexibility: he works off sinker variations, keeps the ball on the ground and has built a profile around limiting home runs.
The next question is how Kansas City values that kind of production heading into 2027 arbitration, where projections place him somewhere between $900,000 and $2.5 million. The Royals are expected to keep him around as a depth option, but with a pitching staff that can change quickly, his role is one of those small roster decisions that can quietly shape the rest of the winter. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Rotation Need Could Make This Rays Arm Too Good To Ignore
The Royals are heading into an offseason where pitching help figures to be near the top of the wish list, and that makes a name like Drew Rasmussen hard to overlook. Kansas City wants to get back to the postseason, and the path there likely runs through a stronger rotation, which is why any proven arm on the trade market will draw attention.
Rasmussen has surfaced as a top trade candidate for Tampa Bay because of an upcoming $20 million salary option that the Rays may prefer not to take on, and that kind of financial wrinkle is exactly what can put a useful pitcher into play. For the Royals, the appeal is obvious: a chance to add rotation stability without waiting for the market to break their way, even if the actual trade talks and roster fit remain very much up in the air. [Read more 🡒]