Royals Rumors: Is buying at the trade deadline the right decision

Royals rumors are going to have the Kansas City Royals as buyers now rather than sellers, but is that really the best idea for this ball club?

It’s no secret that the Kansas City Royals‘ farm system has been weakened over the years. It really took a hit in 2015 when the team traded five pitchers for two rental players and hasn’t recovered since.

The difference with buying in that 2015 season was that the Royals were dominating in the American League Central and were definitely going to go the playoffs that year, barring some huge collapse. This season is different. The Royals haven’t led the division all season long and while they’re currently several games over .500 at the moment, there’s no guarantee they’ll be playing deep into October.

This post is not a knock on the Kansas City Royals “going for it”, as that’s what Ned Yost reportedly told the media, but more of a concern. I’m all for standing pat at the deadline and holding onto guys like Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, and Mike Moustakas, but not quite sure I’m in the buying camp just yet.

Ned Yost told me in no uncertain terms, that the #Royals will buy NOT sell at the deadline. "We're going for this thing." @MLBNetworkRadio
— Casey Stern (@CaseyStern) July 5, 2017

The reason why is simply what I said above. They don’t have much of a farm system and they’re not as big of World Series favorites as they were back in 2015.

More from KC Kingdom

Say the Royals wanted to add Johnny Cueto (again) at the deadline. He’s not going to come cheap, as the Royals learned in 2015, having to part ways with three left-handed pitchers in order to obtain him. This year, the biggest name on the trade block in Kansas City will be Raul Mondesi Jr., who is one of the top prospects in the Royals minor leagues.

While a lot of of fans might be all for trading Mondesi due to his struggles in the majors so far, I’m not for it at all. Mondesi is fast, a great defensive player, and he’s only 21 years old. The time is definitely there for him to learn and grow and that is so valuable in an minor league prospect. I just don’t think trading him for a rental would be worth it.

If the Royals had the same record as the Houston Astros right now, I’d be all for buying big time because their chances of going deep in the postseason would be a lot stronger. Now, however, we’ve seen how badly this Kansas City Royals can play and they could easily resort back to that. I’m terrified if the team acquires someone, it could really hurt the chemistry that the team has had as of late.

I get wanting to go all in and go for it one last time with this crew, but is it worth salvaging the future for? The Kansas City Royals are going to need guys like Mondesi, Bubba Starling, and Hunter Dozier as early as next season, assuming all of those key free agents seek greener pastures.

The Royals have to play this right. They don’t have to sell anyone necessarily, which Royals rumors a few weeks ago would have suggested they would do, but standing pat might be the best idea rather than going for broke and buying rentals. What do you think, Royals fans?

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