During the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader against Cleveland, news broke that the Royals had acquired Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Randal Grichuk. In exchange, the Royals traded reliever Andrew Hoffmann, who was recently optioned to Omaha.
This marks the second deal that Royals GM JJ Picollo has made since the All-Star Break. The other was Adam Frazier, whom the Royals acquired from Pittsburgh in exchange for shortstop Cam Devanney, who primarily played in Omaha in 2025.
At 51-54 (they dropped game two of Saturday’s doubleheader), many Royals fans were curious to see if Kansas City would be “buyers” or “sellers” at the Trade Deadline. Picollo has been adamant that they would be neither, stating that their focus is on becoming “better” as a team, not just for the remainder of the season, but for 2026 as well.
Still, after acquiring Frazier and Grichuk, two veterans, it seems like the Royals are leaning more toward the “buyer” end of the Deadline spectrum, for now.
After this move, here are three of my takeaways from the deal and how it will impact the Royals over the next week, leading up to the July 31st Trade Deadline.
Grichuk Brings Much-Needed Profile to the Outfield
The Royals have not gotten much production from their outfield this year, as I mentioned before in my recent post about MJ Melendez. According to Fangraphs, Kansas City outfielders rank last in fWAR (-2.4), wRC+ (64), ISO (.109), and runs scored (102).
It’s not like the Royals haven’t tried different combinations internally to help improve their situation.
Early in the season, they optioned Melendez to Omaha and designated Hunter Renfroe for assignment. They have called up Drew Waters, John Rave, and Jac Caglianone, who have provided flashes, but nothing consistent on the hitting end. To improve at this position, the Royals needed outside help.
Grichuk brings a much-needed upgrade in the outfield, even if he’s not a tremendous player by any means.
In 69 games and 186 plate appearances with the Diamondbacks this year, the 33-year-old outfielder has a slash of .243/.280/.462 with seven home runs, a 99 wRC+, and 0.0 fWAR. That doesn’t seem like an upgrade at first glance, but a deeper look into Grichuk’s profile demonstrates why Picollo was eager to get the former Diamondback, who was a target this past offseason in free agency.
Grichuk is a below-average defender, which explains why his fWAR is zero. He has primarily played right field, and he has produced a -2 OAA and -1 FRV at the position this season, according to Savant. He also isn’t much of a baserunning threat, as he ranks in the 37th percentile in sprint speed. That said, according to Savant, he’s produced one baserunning run, which makes him a slightly above league-average runner on the bases.
The Royals are not getting Grichuk for his baserunning or defense. Rave, Kyle Isbel, and Tyler Tolbert provide enough value in those areas. They need his bat, and thankfully, Grichuk’s Statcast metrics demonstrate a hitter that’s better than his slash line indicates.
Here’s a look at Grichuk’s Statcast sliders via TJ Stats.
The batted-ball metrics have been excellent from Grichuk this season. He has a 14.1% barrel rate, a 38.5% Sweet-Spot%, a 54.1% hard-hit rate, and 92.6 MPH average exit velocity. Those metrics outpace anything that the current Royals outfielders have produced, other than perhaps Caglianone, who will be moving to the IL due to a strained hamstring.
Grichuk doesn’t walk a ton, as evidenced by his 5.5% walk rate, which ranks in the lower percentiles of the league. However, he has a low whiff rate at 19.6% and a high Z-Contact% at 91.8%. His BB/K ratio of 0.26 is low, but he achieved a 0.43 BB/K ratio a year ago, indicating potential for improved plate discipline, based on his history.
In addition to his ability on the field, he is also a veteran who seems well-beloved in the clubhouse and by his teammates. The Diamondbacks had a game when the trade was announced, and pretty much all of his teammates made sure to give him a heartfelt goodbye before he left for Kansas City.
Grichuk isn’t a big-time acquisition by any stretch. That said, he’s a clear upgrade offensively over what they have currently in the outfield, and he should slot in well for regular at-bats in right field, especially with Cags out.
He’s primarily played against left-handed starting pitchers in Arizona, as he has 121 plate appearances against lefties and only 65 plate appearances against righties, according to Fangraphs splits. That said, he doesn’t have a dramatic difference in performance against righties, which can be seen in the table below.
While his 92 wRC+ is 10 points lower than his wRC+ against lefties, he has struck out less against righties (15.4% to 24% against lefties) and has hit for a better average as well (.267 to .230 against lefties).
Lastly, Grichuk carries a mutual option for $5 million for the 2026 season. Suppose Grichuk produces in Kansas City what he did in Arizona. In that case, the veteran outfielder and the Royals would likely agree to the option, especially since it’s unlikely that Grichuk would receive an offer of $5 million or more on the free agent market.
Thus, he’s not a pure rental, but could provide another year of value after this season.
Royals Trade Away Hoffmann
In exchange for Grichuk, the Royals traded away Hoffmann, who made three appearances and pitched 4.2 innings with the Royals this season. His numbers were mediocre, as he produced a 3.86 ERA and 2.36 WHIP at the Big League level.
However, despite a high walk rate (15.4%), he showcased some interesting stuff and whiff ability, as demonstrated in his Statcast metrics via TJ Stats.
Hoffmann’s lackluster zone rate (40.8%) and xwOBACON (.425) explain why he wasn’t currently in the Royals’ bullpen. However, he generated a whiff rate of 32.6% and a 29.5% chase rate, which are both solid marks for a reliever. Furthermore, his three-pitch mix sported an overall TJ Stuff+ of 109, with his changeup being his best pitch in this category with a 117 TJ Stuff+ (and 78 grade).
Below is an example of Hoffmann getting Tigers All-Star Riley Greene to strike out on the changeup at Kauffman Stadium.
At the Triple-A level, Hoffmann’s metrics were much more impressive.
In 32 games and 40 innings pitched, the 25-year-old righty produced a 2.25 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 55 strikeouts to only 10 walks. Here’s what his profile looked like with the Storm Chasers this season via TJ Stats.
Strikes were still a bit of an issue for Hoffmann, as his 46.5% zone rate was still below the league average and only 5.7% higher than what he did in the Majors. However, he produced a substantial amount of chase (32.4%) and whiff (35.9%) while keeping hard contact to a minimum (.275 xwOBACON). His TJ Stuff+ was 107 in Omaha, and his changeup was once again his best pitch, with a 115 mark (he also threw it 47.5%, his most frequently used offering).
There’s potential there with Hoffmann to be a good reliever at the MLB level. That said, he struggled to adapt to MLB hitters, who are more patient and have better pitch recognition than Triple-A ones. It was a small sample for Hoffmann at the MLB level this season. Still, it seems like the Royals were more comfortable with other right-handed options such as Jonathan Bowlan, Steven Cruz, Taylor Clarke, and Hunter Harvey, who was just activated off the IL.
It’s possible that Hoffmann could turn into another Collin Snider or Gabe Speier, who have had success in other organizations after being traded away by the Royals. Then again, we have also seen relievers, such as Richard Lovelady and Will Klein, who have failed to find much success after leaving Kansas City.
The Royals need to upgrade their offense, especially in the outfield. They had to give up something of value, and Hoffmann seems like a fair price to pay, especially since they are already pretty flush with right-handed bullpen arms at the moment (and have shown an ability to identify good ones from outside the organization via trade or free agency).
What Does This Deal Mean for Royals?
To some outsiders, this deal doesn’t make a lot of sense, especially with the Royals’ playoff odds sitting at 10.8%, according to Fangraphs.
While I get that this deal doesn’t necessarily fit the “selling” moniker, I don’t think it necessarily signifies that the Royals are truly “buyers.”
Are the Royals trying to get better? Absolutely. Grichuk is an upgrade in the outfield. Frazier is an upgrade at the utility position over Cavan Biggio, who was eventually designated for assignment this week. They are also veterans who provide some leadership in the clubhouse, something that’s been missing from the team this season.
However, it’s not like the Royals gave up a ton for Grichuk or Frazier. Devanney was an older prospect who was immediately optioned to Triple-A after the Pirates acquired him. Hoffmann will likely face the same fate, even with the Diamondbacks in “seller” mode after trading Grichuk and Josh Naylor to Seattle.
If the Royals were truly “buyers,” they would be selling top prospects for MLB veteran talent. They aren’t doing that (or at least not yet, anyway).
Grichuk won’t be the last move the Royals will make. They likely will make another deal to solidify their offense, and they could make another deal for a starting pitchers, especially if they find a suitable return for Seth Lugo. I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility to see Picollo trade Lugo next week by the Deadline, even after the Grichuk trade.
If there’s one thing that’s certain about Picollo, it’s that he’s more willing to wheel and deal than his predecessor, Dayton Moore.
That said, he’s not going to “sell” just for “selling” sake, as Picollo has mentioned when it comes to Lugo and his future in Kansas City.
They have to get a good return for their Cy Young runner-up, especially with this team just a move or two away from getting back in the postseason hunt in 2026. Suppose they don’t acquire a top prospect in return, especially one of the offensive variety. In that case, I think the Royals are justified in keeping Lugo and trying to either extend his contract or offer him a qualifying offer (which would result in a draft pick if he signs elsewhere).
Then again, we’re still a long way away from the Trade Deadline.
A lot can happen from now until July 31st.
Photo Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
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