Royals Rumors: KC being linked to JD Martinez

With the Kansas City Royals looking to be in the buyers market, they have been connected to a few players. However, none of them have been as big a star as our latest Royals rumors target, JD Martinez of the Tigers.

It might be hard for some Kansas City Royals fans to get on board with this during the current five-game losing streak. The Royals are not out of the buyers market at the trade deadline yet, and are still very much in contention. One winning streak will turn things around pretty quickly. That’s probably why our latest Royals rumors have the team targeting Detroit’s JD Martinez.

There is little doubt as to why the Royals would be in the market for a guy like JD Martinez. The Kansas City DH position has been a nightmare this season. Brandon Moss has been the worst version of himself so far in 2017, and Jorge Soler hasn’t been any better. Martinez would be an instant upgrade.

JD Martinez is currently slashing .306/.384/.622 with 15 home runs and 37 RBIs for the Tigers. That will make him a highly-coveted target at the MLB trade deadline. If the Royals are serious about making a play for him, they will have to be willing to give up quite a bit.

Related Story: Royals Rumors: Marlins 2B Dee Gordon A Target For KC

All Or Nothing

If the Kansas City Royals do decide to get JD Martinez, it will be an indication that they are going all in on 2017. Martinez is a free agent after the season, so the Royals would be giving up a lot of assets for a player they know is leaving next year. That’s a hard buy in on what he would offer the team THIS year.

That could also be a hard sell to a lot of the fan base. Despite the Royals epic climb from the bottom of the league, there are many in KC who are not sold on this team. The recent losing streak hasn’t done anything to help that. However, with the Royals still very much in contention, things can change very quickly.

If Kansas City gets Martinez, you would have to expect that they also go all in on a high value pitcher like Brad Hand, who has also made our Royals rumors. It would make no sense to improve the offense, but not address the bullpen. There would also still be the question of a back end starter in the rotation. All in all, you’re talking about giving up a lot of prospects.

Does It Matter?

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Here’s a question for the people that don’t want the Royals to trade away prospects: What would it really matter? Kansas City currently has a very depleted farm system with only a handful of guys that most analysts see as top level talent. That makes a good argument for holding on to what they have…but really, would that matter?

As it stands, it is unlikely that Kansas City has the minor league talent to keep the team competitive over the next couple of years. Meanwhile, most figure the team will lose its core young talent. That would seem to indicate we can expect a couple of bad years for the Royals in the near future.

If KC is going to be bad anyways over the next few seasons, wouldn’t it make more sense to try and go all in on the World Series now? There’s no savior in the wings in the minor league system right now. Kansas City doesn’t have any prospects that analysts peg as potential superstars.

Maybe selling out for one more run makes the most sense for a franchise that can see the future pretty clearly.

The Kansas City Royals aren’t out of the postseason race by any means. All indications are that this team still intends to contend. So expect the Royals rumors to keep coming in as they lock in on potential additions. The Royals have the World Series on their minds, and I’m all for that.