After a 106-loss season in 2023, the Royals are looking to improve in any way they can for the upcoming 2024 season.

That usually means that not many players are off the table this offseason when it comes to a possible trade.

If the return is projected to be “acceptable” in the eyes of JJ Picollo and the Royals front office, then it appears that the Royals will make those deals, even if may not be well-liked initially in the short-term by Royals fans.

The Aroldis Chapman trade is a prime example, as many Royals fans believed that Kansas City didn’t get enough initially for the fireball-throwing reliever. However, not only did Chapman fade a bit down the stretch for the Rangers, but Cole Ragans ended up showing that he could be an anchor for this Royals rotation for years to come.

Last year at the Trade Deadline, the Royals traded players who were expected to be dealt, even if they were fan favorites, like Scott Barlow and Nicky Lopez.

This offseason, it’s possible that Picollo could be even more aggressive in terms of possible transactions, as he mentioned in his end-of-the-season press conference that the team would have to upgrade in a variety of areas to improve upon their 56-win total from last season.

One way that Picollo could show this offseason how different he is from previous Royals president Dayton Moore is by trading away Salvador Perez, the “captain” of the Royals a year ago.

Salvy generated some trade interest at the Deadline in August, and Salvy confirmed with the media he was open to a trade as long as it was the right situation (i.e. right team/location). Even though a deal wasn’t made, it showed that Picollo and the Royals are willing to move on from established stars, as long as the right trade package presents itself.

While the postseason is still going, that hasn’t stopped the Royals’ “hot stove” from cooking.

According to 670 the Score, a Chicago sports media outlet, it appears that the White Sox are not only interested in acquiring former Royal and free agent Whit Merrifield but Salvy as well, as outlined in the quote from the article below.

“Both Perez and Merrifield have ties to Getz and White Sox manager Pedro Grifol, who worked for the Royals from 2013-’22. Perez played for Kansas City for that entire time frame, while Merrifield played there from 2016-’22. Getz worked in the Royals’ front office from 2014-’16 before joining the White Sox.

Perez, 33, is an eight-time All-Star with good power who’s well-known for his leadership and strong communication skills. Perez hit .255 with 23 homers, 80 RBIs and a .714 OPS in 140 games this past season.

The Royals are willing to part ways with Perez in a trade, sources said. Perez is set to make $20 million in 2024 and $22 million in 2025. His contract includes a $13.5-million team option in 2026.”

“Sources: White Sox are eyeing pursuits of Salvador Perez, Whit Merrifield this offseason” by Bruce Levin; 670 the Score

Merrifield is a whole different discussion from Salvy. The White Sox’s pursuit of Whit makes partial sense considering their struggles at second base the past couple of seasons, and the fact that he is a free agent this offseason looking for a more regular role after not really getting that in Toronto.

Salvy on the other hand? That feels more of a reach for a White Sox organization that lost 101 games in 2023.

Sure, the White Sox are looking for a replacement for Yasmani Grandal, who will be a free agent this offseason and is coming off an underwhelming past couple of seasons. That being said, Salvy posted an 86 wRC+ and -0.3 fWAR in 580 plate appearances, both career lows. At 33 years old, it doesn’t seem like Salvy will improve greatly upon those numbers in 2024, especially as his defense behind the plate continues to slide due to Father Time.

Nonetheless, this isn’t the first time Salvy has been tied to the South Side.

Last offseason, when Pedro Grifol was hired to be the White Sox manager (instead of the Royals’), it seemed like Salvy wasn’t exactly happy that Grifol didn’t get the Royals job (which went instead to Matt Quatraro). Rumors swirled that Salvy would be open to moving to Chicago for the 2023 season if the right deal presented itself (though that news died down once Spring Training started and Salvy was named captain).

With more former Royals in the White Sox organization after the hiring of Getz, could this offseason be the time when Salvy finally makes the move out of Kansas City, even with at least two seasons remaining on the $82 million extension he signed before 2021?

Let’s look at the possibility of Salvy moving to the South Side; what it would take to make that deal happen; and what a trade involving Salvy could mean for both the Royals and White Sox in 2024 and beyond.

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Getz Building His Own Version of the “Royals Way” in Chicago

After an underwhelming 2023 season, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf relieved President Kenny Williams and General Manager Rick Hahn of their duties on August 22.

Despite the White Sox winning the AL Central in 2021, and Williams leading the White Sox to a 2005 World Series title, their first since 1917, it was obvious that patience had grown thin among the White Sox fanbase, and a move had to be made.

Those feelings were further amplified after quotes from former pitcher Kenyon Middleton came out that a “toxic and fractured” clubhouse had continued to spread, despite a managerial change.

Williams and Hahn were the scapegoats for the White Sox’s struggles. In their place, Reinsdorf opted to hire Getz, who held roles as assistant general manager and director of player development with the White Sox since 2017. It was a move that was eerily similar to how Picollo replaced Dayton Moore last fall.

To White Sox fans, the move was a head-scratcher.

After all, Getz worked under Williams and Hahn, who both underperformed over the past decade in leading and rebuilding the White Sox organization. Why would Reinsdorf opt to hire Getz, who was part of that failure in the area of player development?

A big reason is that Reinsdorf wants to clean up this organization, especially on a character end, and Getz is a product of the “Royals Way” once championed by Moore.

Philosophically, Getz is about scouting, player development, and building character in an organization with the hope that such a process can lead to eventual playoff success, despite bumps in the road. Despite Moore’s overall lackluster record in Kansas City over his tenure, he did lead the Royals to two pennants and one World Series title since 2013.

That’s two more pennants and one more World Series title than the White Sox over that same time span. And the Rangers, led by former Royals Chris Young, could also join that mix with a pennant thanks to the “Royals Way” albeit with a much bigger budget.

Furthermore, it’s not just that Getz is a former Royals player and executive. In building this front office and coaching staff, he has opted to hire people with Kansas City “experience”, regardless of how much success they had with the Royals.

He hired Brian Bannister, a former Royals pitcher, to be the White Sox’s senior advising to pitching, and Gene Watson, a former Royals executive, to be the director of player development. Getz also opted to keep around not just Grifol as manager, but also former Royals coaches Eddie Rodriguez and Mike Tosar, who also were on the White Sox bench a season ago.

Lastly, it also sounds like Getz may tap Moore for an advisory role, though that won’t be known for sure until the Rangers’ playoff run is over.

Getz is intent on building the front office and coaching staff in the Kansas City mold, and he has done that for the most part since taking over a couple of months ago.

That leaves building the roster in that “Royals Way” mold.

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Salvy the Figurehead of the White Sox Rebuild?

If Getz is intent on building the White Sox into his own version of the “Royals 2.0” then it makes sense that he would pursue Salvy this offseason.

Even though Salvy is coming off a rough season, there is no question that he brings particular skills to the White Sox both on and off the field.

After all, Salvy still hit 23 home runs, collected 80 RBI, and made his eighth All-Star team, despite his career-low marks this year. He was not only the unquestioned leader of this Royals team (and has been for some time), but he also held that role with the Venezuelan national team during the World Baseball Classic this past Spring.

Salvy is widely respected and revered around the league, especially among Latin-American players. He also still is one of the better power-hitting catchers in the American League, despite his flaws. His home-run total tied for 2nd for catchers in the AL this year, behind only Seattle’s Cal Raleigh and his 30 home runs.

He also did this despite battling numerous nagging injuries over the past two seasons as well. One has to wonder what Salvy could bring to a team with more time at DH and 1B between catching starts in a given year.

After all, he isn’t too far removed from his record-setting 48-home run season in 2021.

Thus, it’s not farfetched to think that Salvy could be the leader of a “rejuvenated” White Sox team in 2024. He could be the leader that Grifol wants, and not just with his Spanish-speaking teammates (especially Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez), but with other players who are looking for guidance and seeking to rebound after “ho-hum” campaigns (Andrew Vaughn and Tim Anderson).

Watch any All-Star game and it’s easy to notice why so many players gravitate to Salvy. He is so affable and can fit in anywhere, even on the South Side, a club that has plenty of “unsavory” history with the Royals since they both joined the AL Central after the 1994 strike. He also gives the White Sox a much-needed power bat in the middle of the lineup, and one who will play in a lot of games (something that can’t be said for Jimenez, Robert, and other White Sox sluggers).

Of course, the framing hasn’t been great for Salvy for a while (if not his whole career). That could be a concern for a White Sox team that is thin on pitching right now and could get even thinner should they decide to trade Dylan Cease this offseason. That being said, if framing didn’t seem to matter to Moore and the Royals front office, I don’t think it will matter as much to Getz and his team as well.

Getz knows that Salvy is “key” to the vision that he wants to promote in Chicago, one that is wildly different than the one emphasized by Williams for decades.

However, Salvy coming to Chicago isn’t going to be an easy process this winter.

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What Will It Take to Trade Salvy? (And What Will Be The Fallout?)

Initially, I thought Salvy’s likely trade destination was going to be Miami.

After all, it seemed like Salvy was close to being traded to the Marlins at the Deadline but a deal simply couldn’t be made in time. Salvy has a home in Miami and it’s easy to see him embrace the Marlins organization and fit into their diverse clubhouse (with fellow countryman Luis Arraez).

Over the past week though, it’s Chicago or bust for Salvy this offseason.

The reason I think that is because it appears to me that the White Sox would be the only organization possibly willing to part with prospects of note to acquire Salvy.

I don’t think that Kim Ng of the Marlins would do so, especially after making the postseason in 2023. Ng has emphasized a mix of building a team through free agents and the farm system. Blowing that up now to acquire Salvy doesn’t make sense, and Picollo dealing Salvy just to deal him makes no sense either (especially with only Freddy Fermin remaining as the only legitimate starting option at catcher).

But Getz? Who has Royals ties and is desperate to make a splash in his first year? I could see him giving up a Top 30 prospect in their system or two to acquire Salvy for the 2024 season, even if it may eventually be a mistake in the long term.

That would be worth it for the Royals, even if it would hurt a bit with Royals fans who have grown accustomed to Salvy at the K for so many years.

Of course, the Royals would have to make some concessions to make a Salvy deal a reality.

The Royals would most likely have to eat some salary to up their prospect return. That being said, owner John Sherman has been willing to eat money when necessary, as evidenced by allowing Picollo to DFA Dozier this season, despite Dozier having a year remaining on his deal.

Money won’t be what blocks a possible Salvy deal.

It will be sentimentality and fear by the Royals of moving into the unknown and fully past the 2015 era that is so near and dear to Royals fans’ hearts. It will be a desire to not “shake the boat” too much roster-wise, especially with a new stadium vote due in the next year or so and public opinion still mixed about the idea.

Change isn’t easy. Moving on is hard. Seeing a beloved player NOT finish their career in Kansas City will never sit well, as we learned with Lorenzo Cain.

However, the White Sox, in their quest to be the “neo-Royals” are willing to give up perhaps something of note for Salvy, who’s obviously on the downward decline of his career.

Picollo and the Royals front office know they need to make a splash in more ways than one with this roster this offseason.

Taking advantage of the White Sox’s eagerness for Salvy would be a great start.

Photo Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports