Is It Time for the Royals to Trade Michael Massey?

One of the more encouraging stories this year has been the re-emergence of second baseman Michael Massey. 

It seemed like Massey was on his way to a solid career as the Royals' second baseman in 2024. In 100 games and 356 plate appearances, the former Illinois product hit .259 with a 104 wRC+. That included 14 home runs, 45 RBI, and a 1.6 fWAR.

However, while dealing with nagging injuries, Massey took a step back last year. In 277 plate appearances, he hit .244 with a 57 wRC+. He also only had 3 home runs, 20 RBI, and a -0.4 fWAR. Massey also didn't have quite a clear role either last year, with the presence of Jonathan India, who also struggled in 2025 with the Royals (89 wRC+, -0.3 fWAR). 

Massey and India were expected to battle it out again for the second base job, but India only played 17 games this year, as his season was cut short due to shoulder surgery. However, India's unfortunate setback opened an opportunity for Massey, and the 28-year-old infielder has taken advantage of it. 

In 86 games and 279 plate appearances, he is hitting .272 with a 101 wRC+. Massey also has 7 home runs, 34 RBI, and a 1.5 fWAR. ZiPS and The BAT both project at least a 0.5 fWAR for Massey for the remainder of the season. That means he will likely surpass his career-high fWAR from 2024. 

The Statcast percentiles have also been encouraging with Massey, especially when it comes to making contact and pulling the ball in the air.

The Royals still have Massey under team control for a while. He enters arbitration eligibility this offseason, and he isn't a free agent until 2029. Much like Isaac Collins, it would make sense to hold onto Massey for 2027, as he will provide stability at the bottom of the lineup, and he has proven to be a very good defensive infielder (5.6 Def, +8 OAA, +6 FRV, and +4 DRS). 

That said, Kansas City has a chance to take advantage of the trade market, and unlike some other of their position player trade options, they do have some internal depth in the infield that they could absorb the loss of Massey quite easily. 

Massey Still May Just Be Righty-Only Option

With the injury to India, Massey has gotten more opportunities for everyday at-bats at second base, regardless of who's pitching on the mound. He has shown some progress against southpaws this year, as evidenced by his splits. 

This season, Massey is hitting .281 with a 103 wRC+ and .738 OPS in 61 plate appearances against lefties. That fares favorably to his splits against righties. Against right-handed pitchers, Massey is hitting .270 with a 100 wRC+ and .739 OPS in 218 plate appearances. 

Some Royals fans may look at these numbers and say, "Hey! Massey has solved those issues! Why are we trading him?"

A deeper look into his splits and Statcast splits demonstrates that Massey may be due for regression soon against southpaws.

Against righties, Massey has a 0.41 BB/K ratio. That includes a 6.0% BB% and 14.7% K%. Against lefties? He has a 0.19 BB/K ratio with a 4.9% BB% and 26.2% K%. Striking out more and walking less against lefties isn't a good indicator for future success. Furthermore, he has shown better power against righties, with a .160 ISO (compared to a .140 ISO against lefties). 

His Statcast percentile splits show similar trends, not just with plate discipline, but also with batted-ball ability.

As Royals fans can see above, there is a massive gap in Whiff% (85th percentile against RHP; 31st percentile against LHP), Hard Hit% (73rd percentile against RHP; 17th percentile against LHP), and LA Sweet-Spot% (63rd percentile against RHP; 18th percentile against LHP). It's one thing to miss. However, to miss and not hit the ball hard? That's not a recipe for consistent success. 

Now, Loftin has his own split differences. His wRC+ against lefties is 120, while it is just 96 against righties. That said, there are fewer Statcast concerns on the splits data, as seen below. 

When it comes to Loftin, he does pull the ball more in the air against righties and has better Max EV against lefties. Other than that? His splits are pretty similar, especially in categories that are important like Whiff%, Z-Contact%, O-Swing%, and LA Sweet-Spot%. Maybe there isn't a ton of upside with Loftin, but he is a much more stable asset than Massey, who has not just had bigger split differences, but a more checkered injury history as well.

Thus, if the Royals do trade Massey, the Royals could still be fine at second base, especially once Maikel Garcia returns from the IL. Granted, Loftin has his defensive issues (-4.6 Def, -8 OAA, -5 FRV, and -7 DRS at 2B). That said, he may get better now that he is solely focused on second base and not moving around the field. 

Who Is a Possible Trade Partner?

One team that makes a ton of sense as a trade partner for Massey is the Miami Marlins. The Marlins are still competing for a playoff spot, but they have faded a bit, as they are 52-53 and 9.5 games behind in the NL East. Miami has always taken a "long-term" approach to the Trade Deadline, especially under President Peter Bendix, who came over from the Tampa Bay Rays.

However, Massey is an option that would fit within their philosophy. He carries years of control, and he still has Minor League options, giving him roster flexibility. They are also weak in the infield, with Javier Sanoja their current third baseman. Sanoja would be better served as a bench piece, especially since he doesn't offer any power upside, as illustrated in his Statcast percentiles.

Massey could not just play third, but he could move around the field as necessary. Unlike India, Massey has proven that he can be adept defensively in a utility role. 

In exchange for Massey, the Marlins could ship over two players who haven't quite lived up to expectations in Miami: pitcher Braxton Garrett and Connor Norby.

After a solid 2023 season (3.66 ERA in 159.2 IP), Garrett has struggled with injury (missed 2025 due to elbow surgery) and inconsistency (5.35 ERA in 2025; 14.54 ERA in 2 starts with the Marlins this year). However, he has been much better in Triple-A (2.32 ERA in 73.2 IP with Jacksonville), and his Statcast percentiles demonstrate that he could bounce back if given the opportunity at the MLB level.

As for Norby, he just hasn't demonstrated that much after a promising 2024 with the Marlins after coming over from Baltimore. This year, in 233 plate appearances, he hit .205 with an 81 wRC+. He also had four home runs, 16 RBI, and a 0.2 fWAR. However, his 30% K% is a big reason why he's in Jacksonville and not Miami.

That said, the Royals hitters have seen a bit of a resurgence with the help of new assistant hitting coaches Connor Dawson and Marcus Thames. While he has his flaws, Norby does two things that this coaching staff and front office like: he doesn't chase, and he walks. 

Thus, Norby could be a nice project for the Royals, especially if Garcia needs more time on the IL this season. He also still has two minor league options, giving him roster flexibility for 2027.

I am not sure if Massey alone could get these two. However, Massey and a reliever like John Schreiber, Alex Lange, or Matt Strahm? Maybe that's an easier call for Bendix and the Marlins.

Should the Royals Trade Massey?

He's a tough dilemma for the Royals, perhaps even tougher than Collins. 

On one end, Massey is well-liked by the Royals clubhouse and franchise. He won the Mike Swanson Award, which goes out to the player who's most helpful to the media. He has a great relationship with the fans, and more importantly, he's been an important player for this club who's stepped up when they needed him the most in the wake of India's injury. 

At the same time, it feels like Massey is a bit of a ticking time bomb injury-wise. He's just not a guy who can be depended upon for a full season. He's only had more than 400 plate appearances in his career once, which was in 2023 (461). Furthermore, his free-swinging approach is good when he makes contact. When he doesn't? Things can go south, as they did in 2025 and 2023 (74 wRC+). 

The Royals should explore a possible trade with Massey, and Miami makes the most sense. Not only could Massey be on a winning team and fit into what they like to do as an organization, but the Royals could get two nice bounce-back projects that could thrive in a change of scenery. 

View our top trade candidates list, up to nearly 70 names and updated regularly!