Royals Trade Rumors: Surprising Big Names Could Leave KC At Deadline

Perhaps no team in Major League Baseball faces more pressure this week than the Kansas City Royals.

As they prepare to face the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Guardians, the 48-52 Royals know their playoff hopes are on the line. But they also know that if their record doesn't improve--and quickly--they could see some of their teammates walking out the door by the Jul. 31 trade deadline.

So as they get set for their pressure-packed week, what could the Royals be looking to accomplish at the deadline? And which players may want to have their heads on a swivel?

The Athletic's Jim Bowden provided some answers on Monday, with a trade deadline primer in which he listed four players from the major league roster who could be on the move by the end of the month.

"The Royals have been looking to improve their outfield offense for a while and they hoped to be buyers at the deadline; however, if they fall further out of the wild-card race, they could pivot to try to take advantage of the seller’s market by offering starting pitcher Seth Lugo and closer Carlos Estévez," wrote Bowden.

"There has been some buzz in the industry that they would dangle either infielder Maikel Garcia or second baseman Jonathan India if they could land a power-hitting outfielder of equal value in a contender-to-contender type of swap. In addition, if they start winning, they could offer one of their plethora of catching prospects to get a bat to boost their offense, which ranks 29th in homers and runs."

That's a lot to digest, obviously. Garcia's name being on the chopping block, no matter how quiet a whisper it might be, is the most surprising takeaway. Perhaps the Royals think the first-time All-Star will never have greater value, especially if a contender wants him to play shortstop, where he's blocked now by Bobby Witt Jr.

However, the drop-off between the return the Royals might get for Garcia and what India might be worth is probably massive, and India seems like the name they'd be much more willing to part ways with.

The central question, though, is whether or not Lugo stays or goes. And if he stays, the Royals had better make the playoffs, because failing to do so and then losing the veteran starter for nothing in free agency is the worst-case scenario.

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