Kansas City Royals Expected to Target Pitchibg Depth, Hitting; Not Deal Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo

[Matthew Lenz]

 

The Kansas City Royals enter the deadline buried in the standings after a season derailed by injuries across the roster, most notably a rotation and bullpen gutted by elbow and shoulder issues. With little realistic path back into the playoff race, their focus shifts to selling off veterans rather than addressing any roster need for 2026. Whatever they do move is unlikely to be a full teardown, since it may not be an especially active deadline for a club still built around a young core.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com is reporting that he expects the primary areas the team is expected to address via trade are “pitching depth and more hitting…” He adds that he “gets the feeling they aren't planning on moving any controllable players such as Seth Lugo or Michael Wacha.”

Lastly, Feinsand shares that the Royals “want to contend next year”, so any move would likely be for a piece that is close or ready to compete at the big league level.

Do you think the Royals should be open to moving their veteran starters? Join the conversation in the comments!

 

 

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[Philip Ruo]

From what I can tell, the potential return for both Wacha and Lugo is likely lower than the Royals would want. Both pitchers are in their mid 30s, and teams aren't going to let go of MLB-ready prospects for aging pitchers. 

Very intrigued to see how the deadline shakes out, but it looks like it'll be quieter than I want it to be.