Royals Urged To Trade For $1.1 Million Athletics Star Amid Embarrassing Slide
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An utterly embarrassing week for the Kansas City Royals finished on Sunday with the Athletics putting the final nail in the coffin.
The Royals went 0-6 on the week against the Athletics and New York Yankees, and they lost in excruciating fashion on Sunday. Leading 2-0 for most of the game, Kansas City surrendered a two-run blast to Austin Wynns to tie it, then a ninth-inning solo shot for Nick Kurtz won it for the A's.
At 34-38, the Royals now face long odds to make the playoffs. It helps that the American League is weaker than ever, but so is the Kansas City offense. To have any hope at turning things around, Kansas City needs to find some new contributors.
One baseball writer thinks that could mean the Royals trade for a cheap bat from the same A's team that just embarrassed them.
On Sunday, FanSided's Caleb Moody named Atheltics infielder Luis Urias as a top prospective target for the Royals ahead of the Jul. 31 trade deadline.
"The two biggest positional needs for the Kansas City Royals statistically at the moment are in the corner outfield and at second base," Moody wrote.
"Urías - who's only on a one-year, $1.1 million contract - could be the prime target for a lot of teams ahead of the July trade deadline who are in search of an affordable yet still impactful infielder, especially with the young Zac Gelof likely projected to be the future at the position for the A's when healthy."
The 28-year-old Urias has already played for five teams in his eight-year career, so he's fast becoming a journeyman. But with a .745 OPS in 57 games for the A's, he's having his first good offensive season since 2021 with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Does that mean he'd be a solution to all the Royals' problems? Not at all, and there's an argument to be made that he's exactly the archetype of player the Royals need to avoid having in too much abundance.
Still, we can wait to see if this deal actually happens before getting up in arms about the idea.
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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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