Phillies-Royals Blockbuster Trade Idea Ships $3 Million Outfield Slugger To KC
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The Kansas City Royals' biggest weakness is clear as day, and it hasn't changed since the start of last season: the outfield.
New leadoff hitter Jonathan India is mixing in as the starting left fielder on occasion (a position he's never played at the big-league level), and that's the only meaningful change the Royals made to a position group that capped their potential at 86 wins in 2024.
Unless MJ Melendez or Hunter Renfroe steps up and becomes an above-average hitter this season, the Royals will almost certainly be in the trade market for better offense from their outfield this summer.
That could lead to a call with the Philadelphia Phillies, who may have a platoon outfielder to spare.
In a recent article, Athlon's Matthew Sullivan proposed a hypothetical trade that would land Phillies outfielder and fan-favorite Brandon Marsh in Kansas City, with a two-for-one swap involving Renfroe as the blueprint.
"Marsh would likely net the Phillies a solid return and major league-ready talent. A potential deal could include outfielder Hunter Renfroe and pitcher Steven Zobac," Sullivan wrote.
"After a Marsh trade, the Phillies would likely have Johan Rojas as the full-time center fielder, with another addition competing for the spot. It could also open the door to acquiring a top-flight center fielder like Luis Robert Jr. in a trade."
The issues with Marsh are twofold: he's not really a center fielder, and he's much better against right-handed pitchers than lefties. But as a platoon corner outfielder against righties, Marsh would be a major improvement over Renfroe and/or MJ Melendez. He could still get some starts in center even if KC is sacrificing a bit of defense.
But the idea that Renfroe would be at all desirable to the Phillies is hard to believe. The 33-year-old also makes more than double Marsh's $3 million salary, so even if Philadelphia hypothetically loves Zobac, they'd be doing Kansas City an unnecessary favor by eating Renfroe's money.
Could Marsh be a realistic trade target for the Royals? Sure, but they'd have to come up with a different package that fit Philadelphia's needs a little better.
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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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