Royals All-Star Third Baseman Surprisingly Linked To Yankees As Deadline Target

Could the Royals ship out their All-Star third baseman?

Aug 17, 2020; Bronx, New York, USA; A general view of rain falling on the New York Yankees logo on the first base dugout roof during a rain delay in the game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Royals started off the second half of the season on a low note, dropping two out of three games to the Miami Marlins. Kansas City is 48-52 entering Monday's action.

The team has been let down all season by its offense, while the pitching staff has carried most of the load. They could look to upgrade their offense at the trade deadline, but they might end up being sellers.

Surprisingly, Maikel Garcia was listed as a potential trade piece by Jim Bowden of The Athletic. However, when discussing the potential buyers at this year's deadline, Bowden had Garcia as an option for the New York Yankees.

"In terms of third base, they’ve been linked to Eugenio Suárez of the Diamondbacks, but there is concern about his defense. Other possible third-base trade targets include Royals All-Star Maikel Garcia — in theory, Kansas City would have interest in one of the Yankees’ outfielders to play left field for them," Bowden wrote.

New York is in need of help at third base. DJ LeMahieu was recently released, and the Yankees would rather play Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second base. This could leave an opening for them to pursue Garcia.

The Royals need help in the outfield particularly, so a potential need-for-need swap could be had in the coming weeks. The deadline is now 10 days away, and the Royals must decide what direction they are going to take.

They could buy and try and stay in the race, or choose to punt on 2025 and focus on the future.

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