Royals Listed As Possible Fit For $252K Diamondbacks Outfielder

The Kansas City Royals have been performing much better as of late. After falling to 42-48 on the season, the Royals have won four consecutive games and are now in second place in the American League Central.

Kansas City is also just 3 1/2 games back of the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card race. Their pitching staff has held up its end of the bargain this year, but the offense has let the team down.

If they choose to add at the trade deadline, their top priority should be to bring in a bat. In The Athletic's big board of the Top 40 trade candidates, outfielder Alek Thomas was listed as a possible fit for Kansas City.

"Thomas’ middling bat and Arizona’s strong outfield depth could create the right conditions for trading the former Top 100 prospect. He may always be a bottom-of-the-order hitter, but teams that view Thomas as a legit glove in center field will be just fine to fill the position with someone under team control through 2028."

Thomas is a light-hitting outfielder. He is slashing .247/.296/.368 with five home runs, 23 RBI, five stolen bases and a .664 OPS. He does bring elite defense to the table.

However, it's fair to wonder if this would be enough of an offensive upgrade for the Royals, who in truth need more power in their lineup.

They will be an interesting team to watch leading up to the deadline. We'll see if they decide to pursue Thomas.

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