Royals Could Buy Low On 27-Year-Old Former Third-Overall Draft Pick

The Kansas City Royals should exhaust all options at the 2025 trade deadline, and that includes checking in on their division rivals.

Right now, four of the five teams in the American League Central are firmly in the playoff chase. That leaves the Chicago White Sox, fresh off the worst season in Major League Baseball history, as the lone sure seller the division has to offer.

As one might expect with one of the worst baseball teams ever, the White Sox don't have a ton to sell. If the Royals were to comb their roster for offensive upgrades, they would likely be taking a flier on someone with high upside, but a poor recent track record.

One of those players exists, but the Royals might not be interested because of just how poor that track record has become.

On Monday, Matt Chabot of Royals Review named Chicago White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn as a potential buy-low trade target for the Royals at this year's Jul. 31 trade deadline.

"Andrew Vaughn is a primary first baseman who has also played some corner outfield and has had flashes at the plate in the past," wrote. "If the Royals think they can get something out of him, he may be worth a shot at the deadline."

Vaughn, 27, was one of the worst hitters in the majors this season, putting up a .189/.218/.314 slash line and -1.6 bWAR before getting sent to Triple-A last month. But he was once the third-overall pick in the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft (one pick after Bobby Witt Jr.) and had a positive OPS+ in four seasons before 2025 began.

I met recently-retired big-leaguer Josh Harrison before a White Sox game in San Francisco in 2022, and he was convinced that Vaughn would one day become something special. A lot has gone wrong since then, but Harrison has seen a lot of good ballplayers, and whatever he saw in Vaughn could still be in there somewhere.

The Royals might not be the team with the patience or coaching acumen to bring the best out of Vaughn, either. But he'd cost next to nothing at this point, so one could hardly blame them if they decided to try.

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