Kansas City Royals: Trading for Nate Karns has been a bust

By Leigh Oleszczak | Jul 1, 2018

Nate Karns #55 of the Kansas City Royals (Photo by Brian Davidson/Getty Images) /

Kansas City Royals fans have probably forgotten about Nate Karns at this point, as he’s appeared in very few games over his two seasons as a Royal.

Prior to the 2017 season, Kansas City Royals fans knew some changes were coming to the team. It was the final year of having the big timers like Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, and Mike Moustakas all together (little did we know that Moose would be back), but then there were some minor guys who were in the final year of their contracts too.

One such name was Jarrod Dyson, who was a trade piece from pretty much the end of the 2016 season. Dyson was mainly just a fourth outfielder during his time in Kansas City, but he played a huge role in the team winning their second ever World Series.

That’s why when the Royals opted to trade Dyson to the Mariners in exchange for Nate Karns, it was tough. It was a fair deal though, as the Royals were getting a potential starter in their rotation for a bench player.

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Going into the trade, Royals fans who knew anything about Karns were up to speed on the guy’s injury history. That’s what made this a fair trade.

So far, Karns has lived up to the “frequently injured” reputation, appearing in just nine games for the Royals since 2017. He hasn’t pitched at all this season due to injury. At this point, it’s doubtful Karns even sees the mound for the Royals in 2018.

Looking back at the trade, it wasn’t a bad move at the time at all. The Royals knew what they were getting into and it’s doubtful that keeping Dyson would have won the Royals enough games to get them into the playoffs. It is disappointing, however, that Nate Karns has done next to nothing since becoming a Royal.

Last year he finished the season pitching in nine total games with eight starts and going 2-2 with a 4.17 ERA. Karns struck out 51 batters and walked 13 during his 45.1 innings of work. We all knew the injuries would be what would make or break this deal and with Karns not having pitched in a Royals uniform on in over a year, the deal looks to be a bust.

The good news, however, is that Nate Karns still has two more seasons under contract and can try and prove he’s vital to this team. If he can stay healthy throughout 2019 and 2020, then maybe… just maybe, acquiring him won’t seem as bad. If nothing else, maybe he could be a trade piece in one of those seasons.

Let’s all be honest though… Do fans even remember that Nate Karns is with the Kansas City Royals? It wouldn’t be shocking if they didn’t.

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