Rangers Could Cut Ties With $14 Million World Series Hero Via Royals Trade

The American League playoff picture has become a big, ugly traffic jam.

Entering play on Wednesday, there are 10 AL teams whose records sit somewhere on the spectrum between 50-40 and 40-50. The Kansas City Royals are toward the low end of that mix at 45-48, yet they only sit four games out of a potential Wild Card spot.

Each of these messy AL teams will have to decide their trade deadline path within the next few weeks. If the Royals opt to buy, which is on the table given their preseason expectations, it's entirely possible they could look to one of the other messy AL teams for parts.

Would the Texas Rangers, still less than two years removed from their World Series title? If so a group of writers from The Athletic thinks the Royals could be a fit for one of Texas' sluggers.

On Wednesday, Tim Britton, Chad Jennings, and Aaron Gleeman published a "trade deadline big board," in which they named the Royals as a potential destination for Rangers right fielder Adolis García.

"Garcia is a below-average hitter for the second straight season, and at 32 years old, it’s possible his middle-of-the-order days are over. But the two-time All-Star still has big power and remains an excellent defensive outfielder with a great arm," the authors wrote.

"Memories of his amazing 2023 postseason run could convince some teams to bet on there being gas left in the tank. And if Garcia gets back on track in the second half, his new club would have him under 2026 control via arbitration."

García's two-year, $14.25 million arbitration extension hasn't paid many dividends for Texas. But if he can improve on his .658 season OPS (which is sadly right in line with the Royals' outfield as a group), he'd be a solid investment with only $2.9 million left on his deal this season (as of Jul. 31).

It's only one idea, but García fits the bill for what the Royals would be seeking in a win-now mindset.

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