3 Royals at Risk of Being Traded Before MLB Deadline

It’s very rare that the Kansas City Royals are considered to be buyers at the MLB Trade Deadline, but that’s exactly how this season is shaping up. 

ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan broke down the state of all 30 teams two months ahead of the deadline, labeling the Royals ‘likely adders.’

“The Royals are already canvassing the league for relief pitching, a sign that they intend to add to one of the most surprising rosters in baseball,” Passan writes. “Even after recent struggles, Kansas City holds the fourth-best record in the AL, and beyond an acute need for bullpen help, the Royals could use an outfielder who can hit. In 685 plate appearances this season, their outfielders are hitting .204/.271/.324, good for a wOBA of .267 -- the worst among all big league outfields.”

Let’s break down who they might have to part with to add some quality MLB talent to boost their postseason chances.

Kansas City Likely Trading Prospects Ahead of Deadline

There’s only one way to improve your MLB roster without subtracting from it, and that’s by trading away minor-league players.

The Royals don’t have a top-tier farm system, but they certainly have some intriguing players who could net them offensive help or bullpen arms this summer. 

Ideally, any prospects traded won’t be close to their major-league debut, since that would be a bit counterintuitive to trade one who ended up coming up and found quick success.

1. Blake Mitchell, Catcher

Mitchell would be a nice replacement for the Royals current catching tandem of Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin, but he’s several years away from playing at the MLB level. 

The 19-year-old Mitchell was drafted out of high school last year with the No. 8 overall pick. He was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Texas (no small feat) and has started to find some success this season – recording an .862 OPS with eight home runs and 10 stolen bases through 43 games at Single-A Columbia.

If the Royals are going to add a big-time offensive weapon like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Pete Alonso, Randy Arozarena, etc.,a prospect of Mitchell’s quality must be involved. 

2. Frank Mozzicato, Left-Handed Pitcher

Teams trading away good players often look for pitching prospects back, and most teams selling are in desperate need of pitching. 

Like Mitchell, Mozzicato is one of the Royals’ most high-caliber prospects. 

The soon-to-be-21-year-old left-hander was drafted No. 7 overall in 2021 out of high school and has had a slow progression since. However, he’s started to put it together this season at High-A Quad Cities.

Mozzicato currently has a 3.11 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, .171 opposing batting average and 34 strikeouts in 37 ⅔ innings. 

It would hurt to lose Mozzicato, but that’s what it takes to acquire an MLB player who can make a big impact. 

3. Yandel Ricardo, Shortstop 

If you haven’t picked up on it by now, the main theme of these prospects is that they have high ceilings and they’re not very close to being MLB ready. 

Ricardo is the perfect player for that mold. 

Though he’s just 17-years-old, he has tantalizing talent. He has grades of average or above-average for all five tools and was ranked as the No. 16 international prospect in the 2024 signing period by MLB Pipeline. 

He’s a switch hitter infielder with contact, power and solid fielding. 

But he’s not anticipated to play at the MLB level for up to five years, and the Royals already have their shortstop of the future in Bobby Witt. 

He could be an easy sell to a struggling team that wants to dream on his talent materializing as an MLB player. 

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