Royals, Diamondbacks Complete Trade: 12-Year Veteran Power Bat To KC
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The Kansas City Royals have often been speculated as buyers at this trade deadline. But on Saturday, they essentially said, "To heck with that noise."
After an enthralling extra-innings win over the Cleveland Guardians in game one of a doubleheader, general manager J.J. Picollo evidently got inspired. Hours after Jonathan India launched a three-run walk-off homer against closer Emmanuel Clase, Picollo brought in another right-handed bat with some thump.
According to multiple reports, the Royals have acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk, a 12-year veteran outfielder who is known for his excellent splits against left-handed pitching, in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Robert Murray of FanSided was among the first to report the news of the trade. At the time of publication, the return package from Kansas City to Arizona is not yet known.
The 33-year-old Grichuk slashed .243/.280/.462 in 69 games this year with the Diamondbacks, tallying seven home runs and 22 RBI. He was even better last season, posting an OPS of .875 in 106 games.
It's been obvious all season that the Royals' outfield has been not only the worst in baseball, but several orders of magnitude worse than every other team. Now, they've brought in two veterans who won't jump off the stat sheet, but should provide a base level of competency (Grichuk and Adam Frazier, who can also play second base).
So does this now mean the Royals won't trade starting pitcher Seth Lugo, who is likely to opt out of his contract at the end of the season? It's too early to tell for sure, but the odds of the veteran righty packing his bags ahead of Thursday's deadline admittedly look slimmer.
As for Picollo, he's hoping his team rewards his acquisitions with a pennant push.
UPDATE: According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, minor league relief pitcher Andrew Hoffmann is the player heading to Arizona in the deal.
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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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