I didn’t get a chance to write a post solely on the Royals’ activity on the July 31st Trade Deadline. However, my feelings about what JJ Picollo did on Thursday were very similar to what many Royals fans shared on social media after the 5 p.m. CST deadline passed.
On Thursday, the Royals acquired four new players to the roster: three pitchers and one outfielder. That included the following, as listed below by player and their previous team:
- Ryan Bergert, San Diego Padres.
- Stephen Kolek, San Diego Padres.
- Bailey Falter, Pittsburgh Pirates.
- Mike Yastrzemski, San Francisco Giants
In exchange, the Royals gave up the following players/prospects in their farm system.
- Freddy Fermin, C
- Evan Sisk, LHP
- Callan Moss, 1B
- Yunior Marte, RHP
Let’s break down each deal before looking at Friday night’s game, a big 9-3 win for the Royals over the Toronto Blue Jays, who lead the AL East division.
End of an Era for Freddy (Beginning of One For Young Pitchers)
The Royals’ first significant move of Thursday’s trade deadline was the announcement of Fermin being traded to the San Diego Padres. Initially, the deal only mentioned Bergert, which felt good enough at the time, especially since he ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the Padres system, according to MLB Pipeline.
At 25 years old, Bergert had pitched 35.2 IP with the Padres this season and posted a 2.78 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 4.24 FIP in a swingman role.
Even though the chase (23.7%) and whiff (22.7%) were mediocre, Bergert showed some solid overall stuff with his repertoire (105 TJ Stuff+) and a strong ability to flood the strike zone (51.2% zone rate). His four-seamer has profiled as his best pitch at the Major League level, with a 106 TJ Stuff+, helped primarily by premium iVB movement.
While Bergert was a solid get by the Royals, the Padres further sweetened the deal by including Kolek as well. Kolek wasn’t as high-profile as Bergert, but he had seen some significant and productive time in San Diego (79.2 IP and 4.18 ERA) as well, and showcases the potential to be a back-end starter or swingman in the future for the Royals.
Kolek’s TJ Stuff+ is only 96 overall, and his chase and whiff rates are low at 26.7% and 18.6%, respectively. However, he did a decent job of minimizing hard contact (.352 xwOBACON), and like Bergert, he also was serviceable when it came to throwing strikes (50.5% zone rate and 7.7% walk rate). Kolek will begin his Royals tenure in Triple-A, where he will work with the pitching development team in Omaha to help him perhaps improve his four-seamer, which only had a 91 TJ Stuff+.
The Royals helped their short and long-term future by acquiring two pitchers from the Padres with upside and years of club control. That said, it wasn’t easy to part with Fermin, who not only accumulated a 4.2 fWAR in his time in Kansas City but had a tremendous impact in the clubhouse. Picollo eloquently expressed that to the media after trading away Fermin.
Moves like this are tricky, and they’re ones that I’m not sure previous Royals GM Dayton Moore would have the stomach to do. Moore was always a player’s GM, and he would wait too long on certain players because of their popularity with the clubhouse or fan base.
To see Picollo make this kind of “forward-thinking” move, even if it is a bit of a gut punch, shows how different he’s been from his former boss.
Falter and Yaz Fill Rotation and Outfield Gaps
After the Fermin move, the Royals acquired left-handed starter Falter from the Pirates in exchange for Sisk and Moss, who are in Omaha and Quad Cities, respectively.
I mentioned in an earlier post that Falter may have made sense for the Royals for a variety of reasons. First, he helps solidify the end of the rotation, which has gotten thin with Cole Ragans, Michael Lorenzen, and Kris Bubic on the IL. Furthermore, he has years of club control, as he doesn’t become a free agent until 2029 (though he begins arbitration this offseason).
In 22 starts and 113.1 IP, the 28-year-old former Pirate has a 3.73 ERA and 1.18 WHIP, both solid marks. However, his FIP is 4.73 and his K/BB ratio is 1.79, which are more subpar. Additionally, his stuff doesn’t profile well on a TJ Stuff+ end either.
Falter has an overall TJ Stuff+ of 99 with his four-seamer being his best pitch with a 102 mark. He only has a 17.3% whiff rate, but he does a good job of throwing strikes, as evidenced by his 54.4% zone rate. Royals pitching coach Brian Sweeney does have familiarity with Falter, as Sweeney worked with him when Falter was in the Phillies organization.
The goal for Falter this year will be to hold down the fourth or fifth spot in the rotation until Ragans and/or Lorenzen return from injury. However, he could be an interesting project in the offseason for Sweeney and Bove. They could help Falter change grips or add a pitch, and thus, make him more of a strikeout machine in 2026. That could give the Royals more insurance in the rotation, especially in the three to five spots.
The last deal the Royals made was for Yastrzemski, who comes over from the Giants. Yaz’s debut against Toronto couldn’t have gone better, as he hit a home run against the Blue Jays in his first plate appearance for Kansas City.
Yaz should be a familiar name for Royals fans. After all, he is the grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, and he accumulated a 12.6 fWAR in seven seasons and 791 games with the San Francisco Giants.
That said, this has been a season of regression for Yaz at the plate.
Going into Friday’s game, his 97 wRC+ was his lowest mark since 2022, and his .125 ISO was a career low. According to his Statcast percentiles this year, he continues to pull the ball well and show solid plate discipline. Unfortunately, his hard-hit and batted-ball metrics leave a bit to be desired.
Still, Yaz’s 1.1 fWAR leads all Royals current outfielders, so he brings value to this team right now, even if he is a “rental” at the end of the day (he is a free agent after this season). Losing Marte was a bit more of a loss than the prospects lost in the Falter deal, as the 21-year-old righty showcased solid ability in Low-A Columbia this year, his first season in full-season affiliate ball.
However, Marte is still young, so there’s a lot of projection to go, even with the solid campaign in Columbia this season. That kind of profile is worth trading away, especially for a Royals team to get better in an area they’ve been weak in all season, which is the outfield.
The addition of not just Yaz, but Randal Grichuk and Adam Frazier has helped make this Royals outfield respectable, even after just one game. That’s what Royals fans want to see, especially if they want to make that much-talked-about playoff push.
Royals Flex Their Hitting (And Pitching) Muscles in Toronto
After a day off on the Deadline, the Royals not only played their first game in August, but in the post-deadline era. Before the game started, Kansas City announced a slew of roster moves, which included the reactivation of Nick Loftin, the addition of Bubic to the 60-Day IL, the option of MJ Melendez to Omaha, and the DFA of Joey Wiemer.
(In additional moves, Cavan Biggio was granted his release, and Rich Hill elected free agency).
The writing on the wall seemed to be long-coming for Wiemer, who came over with Jonathan India from Cincinnati in the Brady Singer trade. Wiemer simply didn’t hit for enough contact, and his power wasn’t nearly consistent enough to merit a call-up to the big-league club.
As for Melendez, I advocated for giving him a shot to prove himself down the stretch in 2025, especially with the Royals’ playoff chances slim. Unfortunately for MJ, with the additions of Yaz and Grichuk, it seems like his MLB opportunities are not only done for 2025, but in Kansas City in the long term. It would not be surprising to see MJ non-tendered by the Royals this offseason.
However, I didn’t want to dwell on Wiemer and Melendez’s struggles. Instead, I wanted to talk about the Royals’ stunning series-opening win over the Blue Jays in a packed Rogers Centre on Friday night.
As mentioned by the #KCMagicNumber, Kansas City launched four home runs, including ones from Yaz, Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez, and Frazier, with the latter effectively putting the game away in the top of the ninth.
Every hitter in the Royals’ starting lineup got a hit, including all their most recent acquisitions (Frazier, Grichuk, and Yaz). Just having better hitters at the bottom of the lineup has also helped give the top of the Royals’ lineup more confidence. Tonight against the Blue Jays (who started ace Kevin Gausman), the 1-5 hitters in the Kansas City lineup combined for six hits and four runs scored.
With nine runs scored, it’s easy to focus on the lineup, which has been much better after the All-Star Break.
That said, Royals fans shouldn’t forget the phenomenal night from Michael Wacha, who carried the Royals’ pitching staff for eight innings (and gave the bullpen a breather after their nine-pitcher shutout on Wednesday).
Even though he hasn’t gotten as much attention as Seth Lugo, Noah Cameron, and Bubic, Wacha has continued to be an anchor for this Kansas City rotation. After tonight’s start, he’s lowered his ERA to 3.38 and WHIP to 1.16 in 125.1 IP.
In terms of his TJ Stats metrics, Wacha also effectively flooded the zone and forced the Jays to chase a lot out of the zone. That led to efficient innings and a lot of unproductive contact (though his whiff rate remained low overall in this outing).
Wacha’s stuff stood out well, with an overall TJ Stuff+ of 100. His changeup was his best offering, as it generated a 104 TJ Stuff+ and chase rate of 50%. That changeup seemed to help out his other offerings, especially his four-seamer, which had a whiff rate of 33%, a .114 xwOBACON, and zone rate of 75%, despite featuring a 100 TJ Stuff+ (which is average).
Below are the video highlights of Wacha’s performance in Toronto on Friday.
The Royals are now 55-55, the first time they have been .500 since June 20th, when they were 38-38. Tonight showed why Picollo “semi-bought” with this team at the Deadline and refrained from going full “seller” mode like the Twins and Diamondbacks, who were in similar situations to Kansas City not too long ago.
The hitting is coming around thanks to the jolt of veteran hitters at the bottom of the linuep. The rotation still has Wacha, Cameron, and Lugo and some new arms that should rejuvenate this group. The bullpen is rested and coming off their best performance of the year on July 30th.
This team has the look of one that could make a run in August and September.
Even if they fall short of the postseason, this club will make baseball worth paying attention to down the stretch, even after Chiefs football starts up again at Arrowhead.
Photo Credit: Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP