Red Sox-Royals Trade Idea Brings 61-Strikeout Boston Reliever To Kansas City
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Major League Baseball trades during spring training are usually done with a specific purpose in mind.
While most teams have their roster configuration mostly figured out by now, trades can come into play when certain deficiencies reveal themselves on the diamond. The Kansas City Royals, as a playoff team from last season, could be interesting buyers at this early point in the season.
If the Royals think their bullpen needs one more upgrade, one MLB writer's recent projection could come true.
On Wednesday, FanSided's Joe Summers proposed a hypothetical trade that would bring Boston Red Sox reliever Zack Kelly to Kansas City in exchange for Nick Loftin, a fringe major-league infielder who the Royals drafted 32nd overall in the 2020 MLB Draft.
"Kelly represents the type of pitcher that Kansas City has targeted in recent years," Summers wrote. "He's shown promise but hasn't had much experience in the big leagues, making his market value targetable."
"Kelly ranked in the 89th percentile in fastball velocity and 95th in hard-hit percentage. That pairs perfectly with a stellar Royals defense, who helped Seth Lugo ascend to a second-place Cy Young finish largely due to his low hard-hit percentage."
The 29-year-old Kelly became a key member of the Boston bullpen for the first time in 2024, striking out 61 batters in 56 2/3 innings of work. He brought a 2.58 ERA into September before surrendering 10 earned runs in his final 4 1/3 innings of work, raising his ERA more than a full run.
Loftin hasn't shown himself to be a capable major league hitter yet, and the Royals are fairly well set on the infield. But it's not entirely clear whether Boston would have any interest in him, given that their own infield is well-stocked and has some top prospects fighting for playing time.
While this specific trade might not be likely, Kelly is an intriguing arm that the Royals could certainly look into bringing to Kansas City at some point in the near or distant future.
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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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