Who else can the Royals trade?

It’s been a quiet offseason overall for the Royals, but they’ve been a key player in the trade market in recent days. Michael A. Taylor Relief prospects in exchange for division rival Twins Evan Sisk When Stephen Cruzinfielder reversal Adalberto Mondesi To the Red Sox in exchange for a relief pitcher Josh Taylor Next day.

These may not be the only trades general manager JJ Piccolo has in store for his first offseason at the top of the team’s baseball management hierarchy.Royals reportedly discussed infielders Nicky Lopez With the White Sox for a second intra-divisional swap.More broadly, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported yesterday Kansas City still has “a few more deals” and is “in the works,” he said. With that in mind, it’s worth taking a look at some of the names the Royals may be shipping in the days and weeks leading up to spring training.

First and foremost, we should point out that both Taylor and Mondesi took a year to reach the public market. They represent a short-term asset for a Royals team that knows they are at best a long shot to contend in 2023. 2025 season.Perhaps the Royals don’t want to give up any more team control. Bobby Witt junior, MJ Melendez, Vinnie Pascantino When Nick Pratt Everything is under control until at least the 2028 season. It’s unlikely that the Royals would give much thought to moving someone out of that group.

Starting with the focus of yesterday’s White Sox rumors, to some plausible names…

Nicky Lopez, 2B/SS | Age: 27 (28 as of March) | Deal: Signed for $3.7M, Arb eligible until 2025

Lopez, an all-glove player outside of the 2021 season, looks inherently insane right now. 300/.365/.378 in his 565 plate appearances that season, but batting .347, his 53 points higher than his career mark of . increase. Lopez is batting .252/.309/.321 with over 1600 at-bats. It’s safe to say he doesn’t hit the ball hard. Lopez ranked 246th among 252 eligible hitters, with an average shot speed of 84.9 mph and a hard hit percentage of 22.9% for him, placing him 250th. Statcast ranked him in his third percentile of MLB hitters for “expected” slugging percentage.

That’s by no means a strong endorsement of Lopez, but he has many positive attributes. Namely, his bat-to-ball skills and incredible defense. Lopez has shown his strong contact skills, fanning in just 13.1% of his plate appearances in each of the past two seasons. While he doesn’t take particularly long at-bats (compared to an average of 3.66 pitchers per at-bat and a league average of 3.9), Lopez puts the ball in play and runs pretty well, ranking in his 58th percentile among MLB players. increase. Sprint speed per statcast.

Few players in the game are better, defensively, at least by Statcast’s estimates. Although he was an above-average defender, but not an elite defender in the defensive runs saved measure, Statcast’s Outs Above Average noted that Lopez scored him at second base (12), especially at shortstop (31). has achieved excellent results in his career. A solid arm, Lopez has shown aptitude for both the infield slot in midfield and the short session in his corner, just as a big leaguer he has made 20 mistakes.

With three years left in control of the club, there is no urgency to trade Lopez. But the Royals have wit at shortstop and want to give the 24-year-old. Michael Massey Chance to claim a second base job.

Scott BarlowRHP | Age: 30 | Contract: $5.3 million signed, Arb eligible until 2024

Perhaps the Royals’ most popular potential trade chip, Barlow stepped up as the team’s closer and solidified himself as a quality late-game option in Kansas City. He pitched a total of 74 1/3 innings, posting a 2.30 combined ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate, 8.4% walk rate, 43.3% ground ball rate, 0.79 HR/9 marks, and 40 saves.

Over the past two seasons, Barlow is tied for 22nd among 138 eligible relievers with a 15% strike rate. Strike his 36.9% chase rate on pitches outside his zone puts him 15th in the same hurler set. Barlow is also good at spot-hitting and batting freezes (18.1% call-strike percentage), and his 33.1% call-strike-plus-wif percentage ranks him eighth among MLB relievers since 2021. Velocity, a hard-hitting percentage of 30.3% in 2022) has a positive spin on the heater and, according to Statcast, produces positive extension in his delivery.

However, Barlow isn’t all rosy. His fastball average speed has dropped from his 95.3 mph in 2021 to his 93.7 mph in 2022. At the same time, both his strikeout rate and swing strike rate dropped significantly. His 1.09 HR/9 mark this past season is the worst he’s posted in a full season, and (probably due to his reduced strikeouts) Barlow is in play to reach a glorious 2.18 ERA. 240 for the ball of charity. This puts him 75 points below the 2021 mark and 84 points below the career mark he achieved in 2022. This is unlikely to repeat itself, so if speed and strikeouts stay at his 2022 levels, Barlow’s ERA will be significantly longer. he regressed a little.

Even with some low-key red flags for 2022, Barlow remains a quality reliever under control at a relatively affordable rate for the next two seasons. Had he been a free agent this winter, he would have earned significantly more than his $12-14 million could be earned in his final two arbitration seasons. There is surplus value here, and if the Royals are (understandably) pessimistic about his 2023 chances, Barlow’s trade value will peak now or this summer.

Taylor Clarke, RHP | Age: 29 (30 as of May) | Contract: Signed for $1.15 million, Arb eligible until 2025

Clarke, released by the D-backs after the 2021 season, signed an amazing major league deal with Kansas City, pitching 49 innings and proving a shrewd pick-up with a 4.04 ERA. Clarke had 10 holds and he had 3 saves, but he performed more in the low- and medium-leverage spots than in the high-leverage scenario.

It might be a medium relief profile, but if you squint, it’s probably a little more. Clark’s 3.9% walk rate is elite, with strikeout rate (23.6%), swing strike rate (12.2%), and opponent’s 36.5%), a career-high mark. Fielding independent metrics, he felt much better than his ERA (3.30 FIP, 3.15 xERA, 3.16 SIERA). He won’t pop up as a trade candidate anytime soon, but if he can control a hard-throwing reliever heading in the right direction for three years, he could be of interest to another team.

Amir GarrettLHP | Age: 30 (31 as of May) | Contract: Signed for $2.65 million, free agency after 2023 season

Royals acquired Garrett in March trade that sent lefties Mike Minor to Cincinnati. It didn’t go particularly well for either side. Garrett pitched his 45 1/3 innings and limped to a 4.96 ERA. Garrett walked his 16.3% of his opponents last year, plus he struck out five hitters and threw seven wild pitches. His 94.2 mph fastball average was the lowest since joining the bullpen full-time.

But Garrett still blew out quarters of his opponents and incredibly unbelievably didn’t give up a home run all season. That feat may be unsustainable, but it reflects the fact that Garrett didn’t really hit hard in Kansas City (88.3 mph exit speed, 30% slugging percentage). A hard-throwing left-hander who can miss the bat is always going to find work, and Garrett’s salary is pretty affordable.

At his best, Garrett posted a 3.03 ERA and a 33% strikeout rate in 74 1/3 innings in 2019-20. Another club might see him as a bargain power arm that can be fixed.

Brad KellerRHP | Age: 27 | Contract: $5.775MM, free agency after 2023 season

It’s been a rough few seasons for Keller, who looked like one of the best Rule 5 draft picks in recent memory, from 2018 to 2020. Keller posted a 3.50 ERA in his first three seasons. and went from being a long-time reliever to a steadfast member of the Kansas City rotation. However, his 2021-22 season is going in the opposite direction. Since the 2021 season opener, Keller has posted a 5.24 ERA in 273 1/3 innings. His step count gradually increases, and he seems to have lost his once-strong ability to avoid violent contact. Keller’s 1.15 HR/9 mark over the last two seasons is almost double his 0.60 rating in 2018-20. His opponents Barrel and Hard his hit percentages were 4.5% respectively and he exploded from 35.7% to 8.7% and he 42.8%.

Despite those struggles, the only time Keller was on the major league injured list (excluding Covid-related lists) was in 2021 when he missed the final month of the season due to latitudinal tensions. Keller didn’t look to linger into the 2022 campaign as he avoided IL entirely while making 22 starts and 13 relief appearances. At the very least, he should be seen as a durable, affordable, innings-eating rental, and if the team can restore his one-degree-plus slider to its former shape, the end of July. Until he turns 28, he could be a bargain for right-handers.

hunter dodger1B/3B/OF | Age: 31 | Contract: $17.5M guaranteed until 2024, $10M club option in 2025

Dozier’s outstanding 2019 season feels like a distant memory. He batted .279/.348/.522 with 26 home runs that season and was 23% above the league average in wRC+. (If that sounds low, remember that 2019 is widely regarded as the season MLB pumped up baseball.

Since then, Dodger has posted lukewarm .226/.297/.391 batting averages. That his prestigious batting profile from his 2019 season has wilted and now looks pretty mediocre. Although he had a respectable defensive record at first base, he ranks as the worst third baseman and right fielder in the sport according to both defensive runs saved and above-average outs.

Dozier’s contract remains open with a $17.5 million bond remaining on the deal. The Royals haven’t typically made such moves in the past, but he could be traded for another bad contract.

long shot

Of course, there are other players that other clubs might be interested in.royals rule brady singer For four more seasons he enjoyed what appeared to be a breakout campaign in 2022. There is little reason to entertain the idea of ​​transferring singers. Josh Stormont I don’t think I can go either. The Royals dominated Stormont until his 2025, and from 2020 to his 2021, he looked like a long-running bullpen. But Stormont’s walk rate soared to 16.5% last year, and his neck strain and biceps tendinitis combined to sideline him for seven weeks. Trading him now could be a potential powerhouse and leverage savior.

on the back of the plate Salvador Perez He is established as the de facto captain of the Royals. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote early in the offseason that the Royals were not interested in transferring Perez, who owes him $64 million over his next three seasons. Given his position within the organization, that’s not at all surprising. Naturally, some might think that meant the availability of young catcher and recent top prospect MJ Melendez, but the Royals also recruited Melendez into the outfield and DH mix. With six years left, there’s little reason to think he’ll be available, especially in the immediate aftermath of a down season.