Yankees Called Trade Fit For Former Royals 1st-Round Pick By MLB Insider
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The Kansas City Royals have several intriguing position players who weren't able to crack the 2025 Opening Day roster.
The competition for the final few roster spots was intense, and ultimately, players like Nick Pratto, Nick Loftin, Joey Wiemer, Drew Waters, and Nelson Velázquez lost out, all beginning the season with Triple-A Omaha instead.
Because the Royals' lineup is relatively weak from the fifth to ninth spots, one might assume some of those fringe roster candidates hold little trade value. But every team has specific needs, and one never knows when one team might have an opening for one of those Royals players.
One New York Yankees beat reporter believes that Loftin, who was the Royals' first-round pick in the 2020 draft, could surprisingly prove to be exactly what the Bronx Bombers need at the trade deadline.
On Thursday, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic named Loftin as a potential Yankees trade acquisition, thanks to his ability to play both infield and outfield.
"The Yankees probably would continue to improve the club on the margins, particularly looking for a right-handed hitter who could play third base and left field, splitting time with Domínguez and Cabrera,"
"Maybe the Texas Rangers would listen on Ezequiel Duran or the Kansas City Royals would consider dealing Nick Loftin?"
In 75 career major league games, Loftin has slashed .229/.307/.295, with one home run, 23 walks, and 36 strikeouts. He did very well in Triple-A last season, with an .872 OPS in 58 games, and has continued to produce there to start this year.
The Royals, ironically enough, also entered the season with question marks at third base and in left field. But they don't appear to think highly enough of Loftin at the moment to try him as a solution.
Maybe his luck will change, and the Yankees will roll the dice.
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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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