Royals already know what needs to be done at MLB trade deadline

BALTIMORE — The Kansas City Royals wrapped up a six-game swing through the American League East with an 11-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, and they will head home with a winning overall record.

However, they will also arrive back in the Midwest knowing some life has to be injected into the current roster if the goal of once again reaching the postseason is to be realized.

Since turning in a 56-106 record in 2023 and finishing in last place in the American League Central, Kansas City has been one of the most aggressive teams in baseball when it comes to adding pieces around cornerstones Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. That aggressiveness is going to have to come back into play at this year's MLB trade deadline because the Royals have to add more firepower to a roster that has been struggling to produce this season.

Prior to Sunday, Kansas City had scored four runs or fewer in 29 of its 34 games (85.3%). That number is just one more than the Colorado Rockies, a team that has started the season on pace to become among the worst in MLB history.

There were certainly positive signs for the Royals during this weekend series in Baltimore, the place where they swept the Orioles out of the American League Wild Card in October. Maikel Garcia, Cavan Biggio and Kyle Isbel each smacked solo home runs in action prior to Sunday, showing that offense can be found outside of the top four of the lineup. 

In the series' final game, the Royals set a franchise record with seven homers, two of which came from Garcia.

However, those moments have been few and far between for a Royals offense that came into Sunday with by far the fewest home runs hit in MLB. Their 18 homers through the first 34 games also included 14 that came with no one on base.

Those numbers are part of the reason why Kansas City came into Sunday among the bottom three teams in the league in runs scored.

"Results are results," Isbel said, discussing the team's slow start at the plate. "Obviously, we're working really hard behind the scenes, but we're not doing what we know we're capable of doing.

"I feel like the energy and everything we're doing including how we're conducting our at-bats has been really fun to watch, though. We're just going to keep getting after it every day."

Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro is optimistic about the Royals finding their stride as the weather gets warmer.

"The last few days, the at-bats have been really good," Quatraro said. "What we talk about is being able to expand when you have a lead and cut into deficits when you're behind."

The Royals can hope their current pieces continue to find their stride, but acquiring more slugging talent is a must if Kansas City is going to not only return to the postseason but go deeper in it than last year's American League Division Series showing as well.

Heading into Sunday, Kansas City's outfield as a unit ranked 29th among MLB's 30 teams in Wins Above Average (WAA) at minus-2.0. It's part of a problem for Kansas City's position players as a whole, who combine for minus-3.3 WAA. And that includes the 1.4 on the positive side that Witt has primarily contributed at shortstop.

Top prospect Jac Caglianone is impressing at Double-A, and it's possible the 22-year-old could impact the Royals lineup this season. However, that's potentially one piece to help solve Kansas City's offensive struggle puzzle, and it's dependent on if Caglianone's swing immediately translates to the MLB level.

How Kansas City fares in May could determine just how aggressive the Royals will be at the MLB trade deadline. However, if the offense stays on its current course, more pressure is going to be on Kansas City's pitching to keep it in games until reinforcements arrive from outside the organization.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.