“KC Chase to the Pennant”: Breaking Down the Royals’ Recent Struggles and Possible Trade Options

Oof. That was a rough loss today. It was bad enough to get all that random grief from San Diego fans over the weekend. Getting it from Cleveland fans, who are in the division and in first place, is even worse, especially since we have more games against them this year.

It also didn’t help that the Royals collapsed at the bottom of the 7th, amplified by Bobby Witt Jr’s rare throwing (and honestly mental) error.

It’s too bad that happened, not just because it cost the Royals the game. Witt carried the Royals’ offense in this one, hitting two home runs and collecting four RBI. The Royals wouldn’t have had a lead to begin with if it wasn’t for Witt, so it sucked that this happened.

Before the Royals lost to the Guardians tonight, Cristian and I recorded a new episode of “KC Chase to the Pennant” on Sunday evening about the Royals’ struggles and trade possibilities. The video can be found below.

Here are a few thoughts from the episode that I wanted to expand upon:

I know Royals fans may not want to hear this, but I feel better about the hitting’s outlook going forward and am okay if a significant move doesn’t happen immediately. I know some call for the Royals to acquire Tommy Pham or Luis Robert, but the price will be exorbitant (and I’m concerned with the vibes they could bring from such a toxic organization).

Furthermore, I think the Royals hitters, especially the struggling ones, are coming around. Hunter Renfroe was a prime example tonight as he hit three balls with an exit velocity over 100 MPH today and launched an HR that gave the Royals an early lead.

The Royals should still be patient with this group (well, maybe less so with MJ) and let the cards play out for at least the next month. If the Royals’ hitting regresses back to the disaster it was in April, then they can be more aggressive trade-wise and probably get a better deal to boot.

Cristian and I discussed the bullpen’s struggles and agreed that something must happen. Then again, who is the odd man out, and who comes in?

It’s been frustrating to see Will Smith, Chris Stratton, and Nick Anderson not live up to their preseason expectations. That said, parting ways with veterans isn’t easy, especially for a team trying to take the next step and make the postseason.

Whether Royals fans want to agree or not, some boost happens with the suitable veterans around. The Royals are 36-26 after 62 games this year. They were 18-44 last year with a young group bereft of veteran presence.

That said, the Royals, at the end of the day, need guys who can pitch, and Kansas City needs to explore what they have in Triple-A so they can make a sensible acquisition via the trade market. Walter Pennington probably deserves a shot, as do Steven Cruz and maybe Evan Sisk, whom I talked about in my most recent post on “Farm to Fountains.”

I am encouraged to hear that JJ Picollo is already scouring the trade market to make a deal to boost the bullpen, and he talked candidly about it with New York Post writers Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman. That shows that the Royals are serious about winning and not just going to rest on the “hot start,” like some clubs would do (i.e., Pittsburgh and Baltimore, though they do have better farm systems, to be fair).

However, the Royals don’t need to panic and trade away any serious prospect capital, especially since they have been trying to rebuild it since Picollo took over as GM.

Cristian and I will be at Lee’s Summit Downtown Day at the Lee’s Summit Tribune Sports Booth from about 4-5 and 6-7 on Friday night. Come by, say hi, and check us out as we talk about Royals baseball (and hopefully be more encouraged by a better Royals performance in this series after tonight).

Thanks for listening, subscribing on YouTube, and sharing on X!

Go Royals (even after a rough one today).

Photo Credit: Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

6 thoughts on ““KC Chase to the Pennant”: Breaking Down the Royals’ Recent Struggles and Possible Trade Options”

  1. Mr. O’B, I completely understand JJ’s position re: possible trades,that by jumping the market he is hoping to get lucky as he did withCole Ragans and James McArthur. That said, I see absolutely no reason why he shouldn’t dip into Omaha’s roster and see if anybody can help in the ‘pen. NOW is the time for experimentation, before recovery from this slidebecomes any more difficult.

    And send MJ down and see if maybe he can figure things out onhis own steam.

    The only reason I think they’re keeping him on the ML roster is thatthey don’t want him to lose confidence by being demoted. I understand that and think it’s admirable, but MJ is the one standingin the batter’s box.   He either “gets it” or he doesn’t and right NOW is the time to find out.

    Thanks for “listening” and keep up the great work.

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    1. I’m in the same boat. As much as I want JJ to swing a trade to make an impact, I also think there are some intriguing arms that are worth looking at first. I don’t see the problem with giving them 2-3 weeks to see if they can make an impact and if they can’t, they can swing a trade when the price will be a lot cheaper.

      Yeah, I could see that they don’t want to mess with MJ’s confidence, especially since he has been such a key part of the core group (especially with Bobby, who he’s been with ever since Bobby was drafted). That said, I don’t like to see him on the bench so much. He’s not going to get better by NOT getting at bats. At least in Omaha he can play everyday and work on things, even if it may be against inferior competition.

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  2. Ok… So they had two 3 game losing streaks… BFD… Remember when they would have two 8, or 9 game losing streaks in 30 days? Good teams minimize loses. They don’t wallow in failure. They figured how to staunch the bleeding.

    If MJ’s hitting is the problem, the least expensive option may be Brandon Belt. While his BA has been relatively pedestrian, his OBP is much better. He could plug LF, 1b and DH. Assuming that he offers troublesome AB’s, he could slot in at 6 or 7, providing some protection to the 5th hitter. Assuming he is a professional, he should be “in shape”. One to three weeks in AA and AAA, and his OBP might be ready for MLB pitching. He is a bat that can play well down the stretch at a very low price. And, yes. It complicates the picture at 1b. But Belt provides OBP that can keep a rally alive.

    As for relief pitching, we do have some decent arms in the minors. I would demote ( or place on IL for “soreness”) those bullpen arms who are struggling (Stratton, Anderson & McArthur) and have options to allow the “hopefuls” to audition until the veterans find their mojo. Bowlan, Hernandez and Veneziano are already on the 40 man roster. They should be allowed to throw as hard as they want. The one thing you can’t teach a pitcher is velocity, and it might be a change from what a starter throws. After two at bats of 93 mph fastballs, from a fresh arm, at 96 to 98 is a big jump. Baseball pitching is the one discipline where if you can’t dazzle them with talent, you can baffle then with bullshit. Charlie Hough (Tex) made a career out of it. I’d let those who can throw breaking balls make use of their full arsenal. Plus, it sets the hitters up for the set-up and/or closer.

    We don’t need to spend big quite yet.

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    1. I agree. I feel like Royals fans panicking are forgetting that this team lost 106 games last year. Losing streaks are part of the deal when you play 162 games. The important thing is not letting them extend to long periods of times, as we have seen since 2018.

      Growing up in NorCal I saw a lot of Belt with the Giants and I love him as a player, but his lack of position versatility worries me and is probably a reason why the Royals haven’t pulled the trigger. I think he has more to give on a hitting end, and he could be the end of the order bat they need, but he’s kind of a 1B/DH at this point in his career (I really don’t think he could handle LF anymore like he did with the Giants).

      I agree about the relievers in Omaha. There’s some talent there and I think they need to start matriculating them gradually to the big league level. I’m actually a big fan of Bowlan possibly moving to the bullpen. He’s got a profile that’s similar to Wade Davis (big power pitcher with control). I also think Veneziano could be a great piece in fewer innings. That said, I think JJ feels like those two may be trade pieces and thus is having them in the rotation to build their trade stock. I could live with Veneziano traded away, but losing Bowlan to me would be a missed opportunity.

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      1. Belt is attractive because he can be had for the cost of the contract. Former Royal, Wil Myers could be similarly signed too, but I like Belt’s OBP consistency better, and the fact that he could coach some of the younger hitters on approach to speciffic at bats. If you go to hit in the 5th or 6th inning with a starter already in high 80’s pitch count, do you milk the at bat and try to get 7+ pitches while looking for a mistake… You know, the bigger game within the game. If we had 3 or 4 guys with hitting skills to hit second, you’d be looking at a conga line offense, like Earl Weaver used to employ.

        The other reason to get the kids a cup of coffee at the K is to see who is not just ready, but who pours it on after returning to the minors. If I had to do something it would be to improve the bats we already have. The Royals have the makings of a solid lineup of few peaks and valleys. Early on the season, I was for moving Maikel to 2b, where his bat profiles more advantageously and looking for a more traditional 3b hitting .260’s with 25 to 35 HR power and reasonable plate discipline.

        The one area that we might habe some room to grow may be in base running. If you can threaten going 1st to 3rd on any reasonably well hit ball, you may induce throwing errors. If the runner knows the hitter’s strategy, he can try to steal to draw a fielder off his position.

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