Kansas City Royals: Whit Merrifield biggest talking point of offseason
When it comes to the offseason for the Kansas City Royals, fans shouldn’t expect too much. The biggest talking point this winter will easily be utility man Whit Merrifield.
The 2019 season shouldn’t include as much losing as 2018, but the Kansas City Royals still won’t be a postseason contender unfortunately. That being said, there were positives to take out of their second half of 2018 and that also means the Royals probably won’t be big time spenders this winter.
The biggest storyline to follow this offseason will be what the team decides to do with Whit Merrifield. The former South Carolina star will turn 30 in January, but has shown zero signs of slowing down so far.
In fact, he’s actually gotten better as his time in the majors has gone. Other teams are noticing too and because of that, Merrifield is getting traction on the trade market.
The Royals have received plenty of calls on Whit Merrifield, and expect the volume to increase. The asking price will be sizable, and with Merrifield under control for four years, thinking is the team will be better positioned in a year to evaluate their timeline to contend.
— Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) November 7, 2018
It was a bit surprising that the Royals didn’t opt to trade him during the deadline last summer, but if the utility man does get flipped in a deal, it’ll have to be a HUGE package of prospects coming back to Kansas City. The reasoning for that is that Merrifield is cheap and has several years left of club control on his current contract. That makes him VERY appealing for contending teams.
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Merrifield also is versatile and can play basically any position on the diamond. He’s mainly a second baseman for the Royals, but has also spent a significant amount of time in the outfield and even at first base. The guy can do it all!
As Rustin Dodd’s tweet above indicates, Merrifield is a popular trade candidate this winter and Royals fans shouldn’t be surprised by that whatsoever. I know fans love the guy, but Dayton Moore and the Royals have to do what’s best for the future of this team.
As of now, Merrifield is still a great contributor for this organization, but if a team comes in with an out of this world offer, Moore needs to pounce on it. The Royals still need some depth for their rebuild and if Merrifield can bring in three or four prospects that can help make that happen, then go for it.
By the time the Royals are ready to be postseason contenders again, Merrifield will be 31 or 32 years old and possibly out of his prime by that point. Even with his hot hitting the last two seasons, Kansas City needs to trade him if they get a good haul in return.
Players like Whit Merrifield are few and far between, but with his age and the Royals still a few more years from contending, now is the time to trade him.