The Royals have a clear decision coming.
The Kansas City Royals have had arguably the most disappointing season in the American League. Losing their 50th game on Sunday, Kansas City was the first AL team to the half-century mark, and currently owns the second-worst record in baseball, trailing only the Colorado Rockies. This poor season has been despite some optimism during the winter. Kansas City made some nice moves on the margins, looking to build on its 82-win campaign from a year ago, but it has not come together in 2026.
10 games back of the first-place Chicago White Sox, the Royals are not October-bound. Projecting as clear sellers at this upcoming MLB trade deadline, the Royals do have some players with potential trade value, and their decision on whether to deal them just got a lot easier.
With the news that Cole Ragans will undergo an elbow procedure that will keep him out for an extended period of time, the Royals lost one of their best potential trade pieces.
While he has struggled this season with a 4.84 ERA, Ragans was fantastic in 2024, when he had a 3.14 ERA and made the American League All-Star team. Ragans was almost certainly going to command trade interest for Kansas City this summer, but now that he's injured, the team must turn to other veteran arms.
36-year-old right-hander Seth Lugo has not returned to his 2024 form, when he made his first and only All-Star team, finishing second in American League Cy Young Award voting, but he's still a durable innings eater.
The same goes for 34-year-old right-hander Michael Wacha, who leads the American League in innings pitched with 108.2 and owns his lowest ERA since 2023 with a 3.31 mark. He is certainly someone opposing teams will be interested in, and with Ragans no longer an option to be dealt, Kansas City's decision on whether or not to move Wacha is a lot clearer.
These are not the types of discussions the Royals were hoping to have at this point of the season, but it's the reality they face. As the White Sox are currently proving, the tide can change fast in the American League Central division. Just a couple of seasons removed from a historic 121-loss season, Chicago now sits atop the division, having capitalized on some free-agent signings, draft picks, and internal development. While things are bad for Kansas City right now, that should serve as a blueprint and reminder that no team in this division is ever too far away from being back in postseason contention.
Hit on a couple of deals at this deadline, and the Royals could be looking at a much brighter 2027.
