The Royals have gotten off to a good start, in part, because the offense has been better than expected. The team finished last year with the eighth-worst runs-per-game in baseball at 4.17, but they’ve managed to improve that number significantly this year to 4.81, good for eighth-best.
Still, anyone that has watched the Royals knows that the margin of error is thin. They’re batting just .235/.310/.376 in the month of June, a 62 wRC+ that ranks tenth-worst in baseball for the month (and yet, their 4.4 runs per game this month are 14th-best in baseball - go figure).
J.J. Picollo has indicated he might like to get an early jump on the trade market, and with July around the corner, deals could happen soon. He spoke to Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville on The Windup podcast, and in addition to the obvious need for bullpen help, he expressed interest in adding a bat to the lineup.
“Offensively, you always want to add a bat somewhere, lengthen your lineup,” said Picollo.
“We have three or four guys that are in the lineup every day, and we mix and match a lot, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be an outfielder, but somebody who could play outfield and infield would be ideal. But just another bat that we could lengthen our lineup out and get a little more production in the back half of our lineup.”
Picollo also indicated the team has to balance short-term needs with long-term needs, and ideally would like a player that can help next year as well. He has previously said the team is looking for a hitter that can get on base, which is why the team checked in on Luis Arraez before the Marlins traded him to San Diego.
It is difficult to tell who will be sellers by the July 30 trade deadline - 12 of the 15 teams in the National League are currently within three games of a playoff spot - and even if they fall out, it is expected to be a light market for bats. With that in mind, here is an early look at some hitters that could become available this summer.
Rentals
Mark Canha, Tigers
Canha has been an on-base machine in his career - his .369 on-base percentage since 2019 is the 16th-best in baseball. He’s hitting .250/.354/.381 for a Tigers team that seems to be sliding out of contention. His power is modest for a corner outfielder, but his defense is not a liability despite his age (35). He’s earning $11.5 million this year, but the Tigers may be willing to eat some money to get a better return.
Michael Conforto, Giants
Conforto has been an on-base machine in the past, but his skills appear to be diminishing in San Francisco, where he’s hitting .234/.294/.415 with 8 home runs this year. He missed three weeks with a hamstring strain, and is just 4-for-45 since returning. The Giants are hanging around the Wild Card race, but if they fall out they’d love to move Conforto’s salary, which pays him $18 million this year before he reaches free agency.
Randal Grichuk, Diamondbacks
Grichuk had pretty pedestrian numbers until a few weeks ago when he went on a June tear, and is now hitting .302/.356/.462 in 118 plate appearances overall. He has been a solid lefty masher in the past with good pop, and while he doesn’t walk much, he won’t whiff a ton either. He is still a capable defender in the corners and would be a role player at this point.
Robbie Grossman, Rangers
Grossman has already been dealt once this season, when the White Sox traded him in early May. The switch-hitting outfielder has struggled to hit this year, but still finds ways to get on base with a line of .216/.326/.284 and a 14.5 percent walk rate. The Rangers didn’t give up very much to get him, so if they fall out of it and decide to trade him again, the cost likely won’t be much.
Tommy Pham, White Sox
Pham profiles similarly to Canha, with maybe fewer walks. The 36-year-old was part of the pennant-winning Diamondbacks last year, but found it difficult to find a contract this year despite a solid season. He signed with the White Sox and is hitting .283/.350/.400 in 37 games. He is notable for slapping Joc Pederson over a fantasy football feud, but several players have attested to his clubhouse leadership, and it could just be that Pham is intense, certainly not a bad thing for a young team that needs a kick in the pants.
Justin Turner, Blue Jays
The Blue Jays may have a firesale this summer, and the 39-year-old Turner doesn’t seem to fit in their long-term plans. His power has eroded, but he is still a high-walk hitter who is one of the hardest hitters to strike out in baseball. He’s hitting .233/.325/.369, but has been slumping over the last month, so he could be a dicey proposition. He’s making $13 million this year and is limited to first base and DH duties.
Options for this year and beyond
Jo Adell, Angels
Adell has had top prospect potential forever, but has yet to put it together at the big league level. He’s just a .207/.257/.375 hitter in 243 career MLB games, and is hitting just .187 this year, albeit with 12 home runs in 65 games. He doesn’t walk and strikes out a ton, but he’s just 25 years old and is under club control through 2026, which is why the Angels are expected to ask for a ton for him despite his underwhelming numbers.
JJ Bleday, Athletics
A lot of fans have mentioned Bleday, but the A’s just acquired him last year and he’s finally reaching his first-round draft pick pedigree with a line of .261/.341/.478 and 2.1 fWAR so far, so you‘d think they’d hold onto him. The left-handed hitter has a solid walk rate, and has significantly cut his strikeout rate while hitting for power. The 26-year-old is a terrific defender in the corners, and is cheap with several years of control left, so the asking price will be a lot.
Bryan de la Cruz, Marlins
The 27-year-old right-handed hitter is your typical 20-home run, .300 on-base percentage hitter that is pretty easy to find. He was a terrible fielder in left last year, but hasn’t been too bad this year. He has several controllable years left, so there’s that, but the Royals would really have to trust their hitting development staff can unlock more potential.
Connor Joe, Pirates
The 31-year-old right-handed bat has put up solid walk rates in his career, although it has dropped off this year. His home run power is modest for a corner outfielder, but he did smack 31 doubles in just 472 plate appearances last year. He’s hitting .279/.351/.477 against lefties this year, so he might make a good platoon partner in left field, where his defense is below-average, but not a major liability.
Starling Marte, Mets
The Mets are still in it after a hot streak, but if they are remotely out of it they will likely be motivated to move Marte and his large salary. The 35-year-old will earn $20.75 million next year, but has really fallen off a cliff defensively and should probably be a DH at this point. His bat has still held up with a line of .280/.332/.419 and he has 12 steals. He doesn’t walk much, but has hit for a good average for a top-of-the-order hitter by not striking out much.
Luis Rengifo, Angels
Rengifo is a pretty versatile infielder who also has experience playing outfield. The 27-year-old switch hitter is enjoying his best offensive year so far, hitting .314/.361/.431, although he may regress with an unsustainably high BABIP. He doesn’t walk much - aside from last year when his walk rate spiked up to 9.2 percent - but he doesn’t strike out much either. He does a lot of things the Royals like - puts the ball in play, plays lots of positions, and this year he is even stealing bases (18), so he could be a prime target, especially since he would be under club control next year as well.
Luis Robert Jr., White Sox
Robert finished 12th in MVP voting last year with 38 home runs for the White Sox, but has missed two months this year with a hip injury and is hitting just .176 in 20 games. He doesn’t walk much and his strikeout rate was near 30 percent last year, but he provides solid defense in center. The Cuban-born outfielder has a reputation for being a funny presence in the clubhouse and could welcome leaving a sinking ship in Chicago. The 27-year-old will make $15 million next year, with two $20 million club options after that. The White Sox will likely have a firesale, but the asking price for Robert should be pretty high if he can stay healthy over the next month.
Brent Rooker, Athletics
The A’s got Rooker off waivers from the Royals and he became an All-Star last year with 30 home runs. Last year he feasted almost exclusively on fastballs and slumped mid-season, but this year he’s hitting breaking balls as well with 13 home runs overall in 60 games and a line of .255/.335/.509. He’s a designated hitter at this point, but he has some of the best power metrics in baseball with several controllable years left.
Gavin Sheets, White Sox
The 28-year-old first baseman/outfielder is a low-average, high-walk hitter with modest power. He’s a poor defender and would need to sit against lefties, so you’re talking about a bench bat/platoon-type player. It shouldn’t take too much to get him, and he’s not arbitration-eligible until after next season.
Jack Suwinski, Pirates
Suwinski smashed 26 home runs last year with an 11 percent walk rate, but is hitting just .175 this year, earning a demotion to the minors earlier this year. He strikes out a ton, swinging at anything near the zone, which has caused a lot of poor contact this year. He’s just 25 years with several controllable years, so I don’t expect the Pirates to move him, but he could be a change-of-scenery candidate.
Mike Tauchman, Cubs
Tauchman has a career 12.8 percent walk rate, and has cut his strikeout rates the last two seasons. His power is pretty limited, but he’s a pretty solid defender who can play center field if needed. The lefty has not historically had much of a platoon split, and would be under club control through 2026.
Taylor Ward, Angels
Another name many Royals fans have clamored for, Ward was a late bloomer who has come on to hit .235/.318/.419 with 12 home runs in 71 games this year. The right-handed hitter is a 20-home runs-a-year guy with a career 9.7 percent walk rate. He has played primarily right field with average defense. The 30-year-old won’t be eligible for free agency until after 2026. Teams are already asking about Ward, with the Angels said to be asking for “giant returns.”
Do we believe this performance?
Kevin Pillar, Angels
Pillar faced the Royals in the 2015 ALCS with the Blue Jays but has bounced around with eight different teams over the last six seasons. He began this year with the White Sox and went just 4-for-25 before getting released, but has caught fire with the Angels, hitting .336/.377/.589 in 32 games. The 35-year-old is almost certainly not that good, but he had decent numbers last year against lefties as a bench bat for the Braves. Pillar doesn’t walk at all, but he’s a decent defender and it shouldn’t take much to get him.
Jurickson Profar, Padres
The Padres traded away Juan Soto, yet had Jurickson Profar unexpectedly replace Soto’s numbers without missing a beat. The 31-year-old leads the National League in batting and on-base, with a line of .320/.419/.484 and 10 home runs. The switch-hitter draws walks and hardly ever strikes out, and is making just $1 million this year.
Nick Senzel, Nationals
Senzel was the second pick in the 2016 draft, but never reached his potential at the big league level with the Reds. He is hitting well enough in Washington to hold down the third base job, hitting .219/.335/.388, but that was driven largely by a hot April. He has doubled his walk rate and has been a bit BABIP unlucky. The 28-year-old right-handed hitter is capable of playing in the outfield as well.
Jesse Winker, Nationals
The Nats have been kinda feisty this year and could hold onto a lot of players, but there is good reason they should try to sell high on Winker while they can. He was awful the last two years, but has bounced back to hit .280/.381/.398 with a terrific 12 percent walk rate. His power is pretty modest for a guy that is limited to DH duties and there were rumors his teammates weren’t fond of him in Seattle.
