Royals Urged To Trade 26-Year-Old 1st-Round Pick For 'Change Of Scenery'
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Entering the final two weeks of the preseason, the Kansas City Royals have some interesting roster questions to answer.
More so than most contending teams, the Royals are struggling to find enough quality big-leaguers to round out their 26-man roster. And part of the issue may be that some of the depth options they have simply play the wrong positions.
Former first-round pick Nick Pratto is a prime example. The left-handed-hitting first baseman is now blocked out of a starting job by Vinnie Pasquantino, so it will be nearly impossible for him to work his way into a starting role unless he successfully moves to the outfield.
Instead of forcing a position change, one writer recently suggested that the Royals could simply cut bait with Pratto altogether,
On Thursday, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter named Pratto as one of the top 10 "change of scenery trade candidates" in Major League Baseball, effectively urging the Royals to move their former top prospect, who is now out of minor-league options.
"The 26-year-old (Pratto) spent the entire 2024 season back at Triple-A, hitting .242/.324/.410 with 20 doubles, 16 home runs and 61 RBI in 115 games," Reuter wrote.
"With Vinnie Pasquantino now blocking his path, Jac Caglianone also quickly rising the ranks as an option at first base and his attempts to shift to the outfield yielding less-than-stellar results, Pratto might need a fresh start to get another chance to be a big league regular."
In 144 career games in the majors, Pratto has disappointed, to the tune of a .216/.295/.364 slash line and -1.4 rWAR. Not too many teams are looking for the answer at first base, but perhaps a rebuilding team could take a flier on Pratto and send the Royals a younger prospect in return.
It's always difficult to admit defeat on a former first-round pick. But Pasquantino, a former 11th-rounder, simply won the day. That's the way baseball works out sometimes, and Kansas City will have to cut their losses either way if Pratto can't earn a spot on the Opening Day roster.
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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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