Royals Floated As Trade Fit For $55 Million Former All-Star From Rival White Sox
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Because they didn't address their most obvious weakness in free agency, the Kansas City Royals will have to keep a sharp eye on the 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline.
The Royals' outfield was terrible in 2024, especially for a team that wound up making the playoffs. Their outfielders finished the season with the second-worst WRC+ (78) and fourth-worst fWAR (0.7) of all 30 MLB teams.
Heading into a 2025 season where the American League Central projects to be even more competitive than it already was, the Royals can't afford to trot out a lackluster outfield during the playoff hunt.
Fortunately, the one team in the Central with virtually no shot at the playoffs has an outfielder who is as obvious a trade candidate as anyone in the sport.
On Friday, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer named Chicago White Sox center fielder as one of the 10 "most likely" trade candidates of the 2025 season, and linked the Royals to Robert as one of the top fits for his services.
"Ideally, (Robert) will recapture the form that led to 38 homers, 20 steals and a .857 OPS in 2023. Projections for his season aren't quite that bullish, but a couple see him as having a 25-25 campaign in him," Rymer wrote.
"Either way, durability is always the unknown with Robert. But if he stays healthy and the power and speed are there, he's bound to draw a crowd. Potential Landing Spots: San Francisco Giants, Kansas City Royals, New York Mets."
Robert is under contract for $15 million this season, but has a pair of club options that could bring his total value to $55 million over the next three years. If he performs to his 2023 numbers, his club options are cinches, but another year like 2024 will potentially send him to free agency.
The Royals will have time to see how Robert's season is going before deciding whether to get involved in his trade sweepstakes. But even if he's struggling, his talents are such that someone will want to take a chance on him, which could be Kansas City's opening for a bargain.
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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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