KCKingdom
Fansided

Kansas City Royals: Five storylines to watch in 2019

By Leigh Oleszczak

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Jakob Junis gets a pat on the head from second baseman Whit Merrifield as third baseman Mike Moustakas and catcher Drew Butera look on while Junis waits to be relieved in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, May 6, 2018, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images)
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Jakob Junis gets a pat on the head from second baseman Whit Merrifield as third baseman Mike Moustakas and catcher Drew Butera look on while Junis waits to be relieved in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, May 6, 2018, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
Kansas City Royals Salvador Perez
Salvador Perez #13 of the Kansas City Royals (Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

ROYALS STORYLINES TO WATCH IN 2019

NUMBER 2 – WILL PEREZ AND WHIT REMAIN FOREVER ROYAL?

When a team is rebuilding, like the Royals currently are, it means trading fan favorites isn’t off the table. In fact, it’s likely to happen if a team wants more prospects that can help them contend in the future.

The two biggest fan favorites that are most likely to be traded this offseason or at the deadline are Salvador Perez and Whit Merrifield. Both guys probably aren’t going to be valued as high as they are now, which is a perfect reason they could be flipped in a deal.

Perez has been the Royals starting catcher since 2011 and has been one of the best at the position over the last five plus years. He’s made it to six straight All-Star games and when he gets the bat going offensively, he’s a franchise player all the way.

Merrifield was a late bloomer, getting his major league call-up in 2016 at the age of 27. Merrifield will be 30 years old when the 2019 season begins and that means he’s probably not going to continue being the type of player he has been for much longer.

The Royals have options to fill in at second base moving forward, most notably Nicky Lopez, who is likely the future at the position. Merrifield is a proven winner and a speedy guy along the base paths.

It’ll be interesting to see if A) These two are Royals come Opening Day and B) If they’re still with the team by the time the 2019 season wraps up.

Home/Kansas City Royals