Royals Are 'Best Fit' For Diamondbacks Star At Trade Deadline, Per Insider

As the Kansas City Royals look to establish themselves as contenders, they made a telltale move on Sunday night.

By calling up star prospect Jac Caglianone after only 79 career minor league games, the Royals showed that they are operating with a sense of urgency. After making the playoffs last year, they believe they can get back to October and make a deep run this time around.

While Caglianone's arrival should help, the Royals will still need more offense this season. They don't have the firepower to match up with the New York Yankees or Detroit Tigers at the top of the American League playoff picture.

However, one baseball insider believes with the right deadline trade, the Royals can change their outlook.

On Tuesday, ESPN's Jeff Passan listed the Royals as "acquirers" at the Jul. 31 deadline, and named Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez as the "best fit" among potential trade targets.

"The Royals acutely understand the plight of small-market teams and the propensity for their windows to shut in an instant. So they expect to be busy come July in taking what right now is a good team and making it good enough to get deep into the postseason," Passan wrote.

"With the prospect of Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo and Kris Bubic starting a three-game wild-card series, it's already tough for any opponent, but adding a power bat like Suarez's would let Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro toy with different lineup variations."

Suarez, 33, is the definition of an all-or-nothing hitter, with averages of 31 home runs and 176 strikeouts per 162 games in his career. He's on pace for a 40-homer season this year, with 16 through 59 games. That's double the amount anyone on the Royals has at the moment.

Because he'll be a free agent this winter, Suarez would be a pure rental for this Royals team. They've got more than enough potential third basemen for the 2026 campaign to proceed without him, but they'll worry about later seasons once they see this one through.

More MLB: Royals' 27-Year-Old Rookie Surprisingly Named As Possible Trade Bait