Royals Rumors: Trading Whit Merrifield to Cubs would make sense

Royals rumors are underway and the biggest name linked to potential trades this winter will be utility man Whit Merrifield. The latest interested team is the Chicago Cubs.

Jon Paul Morosi reported in Jon Heyman’s recent post that the Cubs were “checking in” on Kansas City Royals utility man Whit Merrifield and this wouldn’t be a bad fit. The Cubs disappointed after winning the World Series in 2016 and might ship off some of their talent. Bringing in Merrifield could make a lot of sense for them due to his versatility.

Here is what was said about Merrifield potentially going to the Cubs in Heyman’s article,

"Merrifield remains cheap even after signing that extension (he’ll make $5 million in ’20), and the Cubs could be in the market for a middle infielder to slot next to Javier Báez.Merrifield, 30, continued to be an accomplished hitter at the plate (Major League-most 206 hits and 10 triples) and versatile in the field this year, logging 77 games in the outfield along with 82 at second base. He’s also a consistent contact hitter, which is a skill the Cubs generally lacked during their 2019 offensive struggles."

As Heyman mentioned, Merrifield would be a great option to have play next to Baez, who the Cubs are reportedly working on an extension with. Baez is the second baseman in Chicago, but with Merrifield’s versatility, he could easily find a spot either at shortstop or in the outfield. The guy can play just about anywhere.

Also touched on was how the Cubs struggled on offense last year and Merrifield was the Kansas City Royals’ best hitters, repping them in the All-Star Game as a result. He’s great in just about every facet of the game, is versatile, and still an affordable player. The only downside is that he’ll be 31 years old by the time the 2020 season is set to begin.

The Royals should only trade Merrifield if they can get good value back for him. He’s worthy of three, or even four, prospects and the Cubs might not be willing to part with three prospects in exchange for a player who will turn 31 in January.

Royals rumors aren’t going to be crazy this offseason, but Whit Merrifield will be the talk of the town when there are any. He’s a great player and it’d obviously be great if the Royals could keep him, but with the rebuild looking like it might take an extra year or two, trading him is probably best, especially while he’s still valuable.

There were reports about a week ago that said the Royals didn’t plan to trade Merrifield this offseason, but perhaps if the right deal comes along, plans would change. It’d be hard to pass up several worthy prospects.