Phillies-Royals Blockbuster Trade Idea Ships $3 Million Outfield Slugger To KC

The Kansas City Royals' biggest weakness is clear as day, and it hasn't changed since the start of last season: the outfield.

New leadoff hitter Jonathan India is mixing in as the starting left fielder on occasion (a position he's never played at the big-league level), and that's the only meaningful change the Royals made to a position group that capped their potential at 86 wins in 2024.

Unless MJ Melendez or Hunter Renfroe steps up and becomes an above-average hitter this season, the Royals will almost certainly be in the trade market for better offense from their outfield this summer.

That could lead to a call with the Philadelphia Phillies, who may have a platoon outfielder to spare.

In a recent article, Athlon's Matthew Sullivan proposed a hypothetical trade that would land Phillies outfielder and fan-favorite Brandon Marsh in Kansas City, with a two-for-one swap involving Renfroe as the blueprint.

"Marsh would likely net the Phillies a solid return and major league-ready talent. A potential deal could include outfielder Hunter Renfroe and pitcher Steven Zobac," Sullivan wrote.

"After a Marsh trade, the Phillies would likely have Johan Rojas as the full-time center fielder, with another addition competing for the spot. It could also open the door to acquiring a top-flight center fielder like Luis Robert Jr. in a trade."

The issues with Marsh are twofold: he's not really a center fielder, and he's much better against right-handed pitchers than lefties. But as a platoon corner outfielder against righties, Marsh would be a major improvement over Renfroe and/or MJ Melendez. He could still get some starts in center even if KC is sacrificing a bit of defense.

But the idea that Renfroe would be at all desirable to the Phillies is hard to believe. The 33-year-old also makes more than double Marsh's $3 million salary, so even if Philadelphia hypothetically loves Zobac, they'd be doing Kansas City an unnecessary favor by eating Renfroe's money.

Could Marsh be a realistic trade target for the Royals? Sure, but they'd have to come up with a different package that fit Philadelphia's needs a little better.

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