The Royals watched a useful trade target slide straight into a division rival’s hands.
Minnesota, one of the most active teams at the deadline so far, has already added reliever A.J. Minter and then followed that up by landing Orioles starter Dean Kremer.
For Kansas City, that’s the kind of move that lands with a thud. Kremer isn’t having his best season - he’s carrying a 6.50 ERA and 1.36 WHIP - but the bigger picture is what makes this sting.
Before this year, he had been a steady rotation presence, with three straight seasons in the low-4.00s and a career-best 3.23 ERA in 2022. He also comes with another year of control, which means the Twins didn’t just add help for now; they added a starter who can stick around beyond 2026.
That part matters for the Royals, because this is exactly the type of arm they could have used. Minnesota’s price tag makes it hurt even more.
The Orioles got Jhomnardo Reyes, a low Top 30 prospect, in return. For a Royals system that almost certainly has similar expendable pieces - especially with competitive ambitions in 2027 still tied to the Bobby Witt Jr. era - this looked like the sort of deal Kansas City could have made if it had chosen to push.
Instead, the Royals are left staring at a starting-pitching need that isn’t going anywhere. Their staff has been hit hard by injuries this season, and the outlook for next year isn’t much cleaner.
Cole Ragans will begin the year on the shelf, Kris Bubic could leave in free agency, and Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo will both be another year deeper into their mid-to-late 30s if they’re still around after the deadline. Against that backdrop, Kremer reads like an affordable miss.
Minnesota’s willingness to make that move says plenty about where the Twins think they are. They opened the year looking like rebuilders, but now they’re within shouting distance of an AL Wild Card spot. Byron Buxton is producing, the young core is fitting together, and prospects like Walker Jenkins are close enough to major league consideration to matter.
The Kremer deal also sends a louder message than the Minter pickup. An expiring contract is one thing.
Trading for a dependable middle-of-the-rotation starter with arbitration years left says the Twins are betting on this run and trying to extend it. That’s a problem for Kansas City, because the division isn’t exactly getting softer around them.
The White Sox are suddenly looking like a team that could threaten in the years ahead. The Guardians are always in the mix with their own style of baseball.
The Tigers, too, appear to be climbing back toward the kind of steady postseason threat they’ve been since 2024, even if they do end up capitalizing on a Tarik Skubal trade. If Minnesota keeps moving forward while the Royals let chances slip, Kansas City could find itself boxed out of a crowded division race.
That’s why this deadline - and the offseason that follows - matters so much. The Royals can’t keep letting opportunities like this disappear.
In Other News...
Royals Deadline Plans Could Reveal Who They Still Trust
The Royals are still sorting through what this stretch means for the rest of the season after a fourth straight loss pushed them 21 games below .500 heading into the trade deadline. Matt Quatraro sounded frustrated with the skid, but the bigger issue for Kansas City is how to navigate a roster hit by injuries to Bobby Witt Jr., Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic while also trying to keep the focus on what comes next. Recent trades involving Lane Thomas and Bailey Falter already signaled that the front office is willing to keep adjusting.
With more deadline movement still possible, Kansas Citys next decisions may say as much about who the club still believes in as about who it is ready to move on from. The Royals have been talking about adding younger players to the mix for the stretch run, which makes the coming days especially revealing because the choices are not just about selling, but about the kind of roster they want to build around the injuries and uncertainty they are dealing with now. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Deadline Approach Around Bobby Witt Jr. Just Got More Complicated
The Royals entered the trade deadline already trying to juggle injuries, roster churn and a club that still sees itself as very much in the race. Matt Quatraro has had to manage the ripple effects of Luinder Avila landing on the injured list while Kyle Isbel works back into the mix, a reminder that Kansas Citys immediate challenge is not just adding talent, but keeping enough of the current group intact to make the push around Bobby Witt Jr.
Even so, the front office has made one thing clear in the days leading up to the deadline: it is not looking at every veteran as a movable piece. The clubs stance on its pitching depth has made the market harder to read, and it leaves the Royals trying to balance present urgency with the longer view of a team that still believes its best stretch may be ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Massey Has Royals Fans Debating His Long Term Role
Michael Massey has given the Royals a useful look in 2026, and its enough to keep the conversation around him going. The second baseman has supplied above-average pop for the position, and a .263/.298/.417 line with a 94 wRC+ suggests a player who can help a lineup in stretches even if the profile is not perfectly polished.
The question for Kansas City is whether that version of Massey can keep holding up over the long run. His low walk rate and high chase rate outside the zone leave plenty of room for pitchers to work him, even as he handles breaking balls well enough to stay dangerous. The bigger concern is how often 4-seam fastballs have given him trouble, since that one hole can shape the way teams decide to use him, and how fans ultimately view his place in the lineup. [Read more 🡒]