Kansas City Royals: Early season trade scenarios for four players

An all-Missouri trade! Trades between these two organizations aren’t all that rare, but it’s been a while since something substantial occurred between Kansas City and St. Louis. That would probably have been back in the offseason between 1992 and 1993 when the Royals sent Gregg Jeffries to the Cardinals for Felix Jose and Craig Wilson.

Whoops.

Merrifield wouldn’t come cheaply for the Cardinals, but he would be worth it. The Cardinals are trying their damnedest to avoid missing the playoffs for four consecutive seasons, something that last happened prior to 1996. So far, it’s not looking great. After an excellent start to the season, the Cardinals have recently tapered off, losing nine of their last 12 to drop to third in the National League Central.

On the Cardinals, Merrifield would be tied for first in hits (51) while leading the team in triples (six) and stolen bases (seven) while ranking second in runs (33), slugging (.529), OPS (.884) and OPS+ (135). He’d rank third in batting average (.297) and doubles (10) while ranking fourth in home runs (10) and fifth in OBP (.354) and runs batted in (20).

This scenario would almost be Dayton Moore’s dream. Not only would he acquire a couple of prospects, but he’d also acquire two players ready to contribute in Kansas City from the start, led by seven-year veteran second baseman Kolten Wong.

Wong’s career has been rather inconsistent for the Cardinals, but he remains the team’s starting second baseman. He’s under team control up to two more years after 2019, but that includes a team option for $12.5 million in 2021 with only a $1 million buyout.

Similarly to Garcia of the Rays in the last slide, the Royals could try to flip Wong for even more pieces, or keep him around as a veteran leader on a young team. $22.75 million over 2020 and 2021 for Wong isn’t the worst thing.

The other player in this deal who could start right away is outfielder Tyler O’Neill. Turning 24 next month, O’Neill has seen his rise through the Cardinals organization blocked by too many outfielders in St. Louis.

In two seasons with the Cardinals after being acquired from the Mariners, O’Neill has only had 181 Major League plate appearances, spending the most of his time in Memphis. He would immediately vie for starting playing time in right field or as a designated hitter with the Royals.

The first of the two true prospects in this deal is Evan Kruczynski, a 24-year-old left-handed starting pitcher currently in Double-A. He’s tall for a pitcher, standing 6’5″, and projects to become a team’s number five starter someday. MLB.com, which ranks Kruczynski as the Cardinals number 27 prospect, wrote about him:

"…Kruczynski pitches with an 88-91 mph fastball that plays above its velocity because he gets such good extension towards the plate and knows how to effectively change hitters’ eye levels. He has a trio of secondary pitches including an above-average changeup and average slider, and he can pound the zone with his entire four-pitch mix."

But the main acquisition would be Elehuris Montero, a 20-year-old third baseman ranked as the organization’s number three prospect. 2080 Baseball, which ranks Montero as the organization’s fourth best prospect, projects him to one day become an “above-average player,” further stating that he “has the tools of an above-average hit and power producer, with room to grow into more raw as he fills out a physical 6-foot-3 frame.”