Insider Urges Royals To Reunite With 48-HR Angels Slugger In May Blockbuster
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One great offensive game doesn't mean the Kansas City Royals should call off the dogs in their search for more thump in the lineup.
The Royals hit seven home runs on Sunday in their 11-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles, which also clinched the season series over an American League rival. But that huge day still only got them to 25 home runs on the season, second-fewest in all of baseball after the Toronto Blue Jays.
Is the Royals' need for more power so great that they can't wait until the trade deadline to address it? That seems to be what one Major League Baseball insider believes.
On Monday, Jim Bowden of urged the Royals to acquire Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler in a trade this month, proposing right-handed pitcher Ben Kurdna as the return for the Halos.
"Soler played for the Royals from 2017 to July 2021, a stretch that included leading the AL with 48 homers in 2019. Over a 12-year career, he has 162-game averages of 31 homers and 32 doubles," Bowden wrote.
"The Royals entered Saturday ranked last in the majors in home runs with 15... OK, so the Royals then proceeded to club three homers on Saturday and a franchise-record seven long balls on Sunday, but I think they need to acquire power to get back to the postseason and Soler would be a good trade target."
There's an issue that comes with acquiring Soler, specifically: Clogging up the DH role would leave the Royals far less flexibility when it comes to calling up number-one prospect Jac Caglianone. Caglianone's primary position is first base, which is currently manned by Vinnie Pasquantino in Kansas City, with an occasional fill-in from Salvador Perez when he's not catching.
Kurdna isn't a small piece to give up, either. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the fourth-best prospect in the system and Kansas City's number-one pitching prospect. He's a 22-year-old in Double-A with number-two starter potential if everything clicks right.
Ultimately, the Royals' need is great enough that they could still consider bringing Soler back into the fold. But his contract is undesirable and he's already 33, so it's no slam dunk.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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