Kansas City Royals: Early season trade scenarios for four players

Though I stated this in the introduction, I’ll make it clear again: I’m not advocating for the Royals to make any of these trades, though some would definitely help speed up the timeline back to competition.

When it comes to Alex Gordon, the best Royals player of this era, Kansas City would need a boon in return to consummate such a deal. (A return on Gordon, though, would be hampered by his past seasons of futility before his 2019 resurgence.)

Gordon has 10-and-5 rights, which according to MLB.com means,

"Players who have accrued 10 years of Major League service time and spent the past five consecutive years with the same team are awarded 10-and-5 rights. Under these circumstances, a player can veto any trade scenario that is proposed. In essence, 10-and-5 rights function as a full no-trade clause."

So, Gordon can’t be traded unless he agrees to a deal. The Royals might decide to bring this up to him if a contender came calling. It’d be good for both him and the organization, but Gordon doesn’t have to be traded if he doesn’t want to.

Should the Royals deal an iconic who may very well play out his career in Kansas City if he’s not traded? A part of the team’s renaissance, one of the few remaining reminders from the 2015 World Series championship team?

I know how I’d answer that, but unfortunately, the Royals aren’t paying me to make those types of decisions. (Okay, maybe that’s fortunate, because that is one tough question to answer.) What I do know is that the Royals should perform due diligence and talk to whoever comes calling about Gordon.

Even if it’s the Evil Empire.

The Yankees are looking to move past their disappointing 2018 postseason display. Currently, the team sits in second place in the American League East behind only the Tampa Bay Rays, but the Boston Red Sox aren’t that far back.

The Yankees have dealt with an enormous amount of injuries so far. Right now, and for the rest of the season, New York could use an upgrade over Brett Gardner in left field.

Gordon would provide that upgrade, and he’d also add a lefty presence to a lineup that down the stretch will include right-handed sluggers Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, and Luke Voit. Gardner is serviceable, sure, but his .204/.299/.401 is a joke compared to Gordon’s .299/.382/.544.

But again, the Royals would need a haul in return for dealing Gordon, who holds a mutual-option for 2020 with a relatively small buyout.

Middle-infielder Kyle Holder would have to fight Adalberto Mondesi, Whit Merrifield and Nicky Lopez for playing time, but he sounds like he would be a perfect Royal, at least according to 2080 Baseball, which wrote about him, “he’s an excellent defensive infielder who won’t hit enough to play every day. He profiles as a defensive-minded bench player who can move all over the dirt.”

Josh Stowers is the Yankees’ 25th ranked prospect, according to MLB.com. He has a chance to stay in center field, and if does, that would bode well for him becoming a starter, as MLB.com wrote this about his offense:

"He has modest power, enough to produce maybe 15 homers on an annual basis, and his best offensive attributes are his on-base ability and solid speed. He has a very patient approach and the savvy to steal bases."

Finally, there’s Michael King, a right-handed pitcher is a farm system full of those. MLB.com ranks King as the Yankees’ 12th best prospect, but he is out for a while after suffering a setback in his rehab.

In the minors, King has started 50 games between the Marlins and Yankees systems, posting a 25-17 record with a 2.59 ERA, 1.041 WHIP and 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings. The 23-year-old would be the highlight of such a deal, and he would fit right in alongside the Royals other young starting pitchers Brad Keller and Jakob Junis.

The question remains: is that enough to deal the team’s 13-year veteran?