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Royals Rumors: FanGraphs links Royals and Reds in Whit Merrifield trade

By Leigh Oleszczak

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 05: Whit Merrifield #15 of the Kansas City Royals takes a lead off of first base against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on July 5, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 05: Whit Merrifield #15 of the Kansas City Royals takes a lead off of first base against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on July 5, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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FanGraphs published a piece on potential trades we could see happen at the trade deadline and had Whit Merrifield landing with the Cincinnati Reds. Could this end up being a part of the Royals rumors?

To trade Whit Merrifield or not to trade Whit Merrifield. That appears to be the question for the Kansas City Royals as we enter hot stove season.

For awhile, it looked as though Merrifield would remain in Kansas City and that could still end up being the case, as the asking price needs to be high in order to acquire the Royals utility man.

Dan Szymborski of FanGraphs, however, put a good trade out there that the Royals would have to strongly consider if it were offered to them. In this trade, he had Merrifield going to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for third baseman Jonathan India, pitcher Tony Santillan, and outfielder Jose Siri.

"The Reds don’t have an obvious home for India right now, their pitching issues have taken a sunny turn, and Siri strikes me as the type of player the Royals will absolutely love. The Reds have been unlucky this year, but they remain a plausible contender in 2020."

It’d be hard to find faults if this trade were actually to occur.

The Royals would trade 30 year old Merrifield to a team in exchange for THREE top ten prospects in the Reds system. Who says no to that?

Merrifield is the only true exciting player on the team right now, but let’s be real for a minute. He’s 30 years old and is never going to command more on the trade market than he will right now at this moment. If the Reds were to offer up India, Santillan, and Siri for their 30-year old utility player, THEN MAKE THAT DEAL OFFICIAL.

According to MLB.com (linked above), India could be a guy who plays around the infield until a permanent or semi-permanent spot is found for him. He’s batting .256 in A+ right now and MLB.com predicts him to get his call-up in 2021.

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Santillan could get called up as early as next year and MLB.com notes that he can be a frontline starter for a team, something the Royals don’t have right now (but hopefully will soon!). He’s gotten roughed up a bit in Double-A this year (5.01 ERA), but the potential is absolutely there.

Lastly, there’s Siri, who could also be called up as early as 2020. MLB.com says he could play in center field right now, but there are worries about him being able to piece it all together. The fact that he could play in center field in the majors right now is a big plus (yes, even with Bubba Starling in the big leagues now).

Five Trade Scenarios for Royals at Deadline. dark. Next

When it comes to trading Whit Merrifield, the Kansas City Royals can’t accept peanuts in return. They need to get a massive haul in exchange for their best player, otherwise, no dice.

If the Reds were to offer this deal, or a team were to offer a similar one, it’d be difficult for the Royals not to accept it. Merrifield’s value will continue to decrease as he ages, so hopefully a team reaches out sooner rather than later.

For now, we’ll continue to pay close attention to any Royals rumors that pop up!

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