Rangers $14 Million World Series Hero Floated As Ideal Royals Trade Target
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As the Kansas City Royals prepare for a pivotal 2025 season, something is clearly missing.
The Royals have a transcendent superstar in Bobby Witt Jr., a good starting rotation, and some solid supporting hitters. But the outfield, especially in the corners, is a fairly obvious weakness.
Adolis García of the Texas Rangers would be a tantalizing trade target if he was somehow made available. The 2023 postseason hero had a down year in 2024, and with a $9.25 million salary this year and only one year of arbitration after that, he might be somewhat expendable.
On Monday, SB Nation's Jeremy Greco proposed a hypothetical trade that would bring García to Kansas City in exchange for left-handed relief pitcher Angel Zerpa, who is under team control through the 2028 season.
"The Rangers haven’t added anyone recently that makes me think they might suddenly want to deal Adolis García, but he keeps coming up in the rumors I read, so it seemed worth it to mention him," Greco wrote.
"The two teams had a one-for-one swap last trade deadline that worked out pretty well for both teams with Michael Lorenzen helping KC make it to the playoffs and Pennington offering up a solid 3.12 ERA in 17.1 innings for Texas down the stretch. Perhaps the two teams would like to match up again."
Zerpa and Garcia might match up from a value perspective based on García's slightly more expensive contract and volatile performance at the plate. But it's a big risk for Texas to take to trade him, because at his best (see: the entire 2023 season), García can be a true game-changer.
It was impressive enough that García hit 38 home runs that regular season, but he took things to another level in October, hitting eight bombs with a 1.108 OPS in 15 games. If that version of García can ever be unlocked again, the team he's playing for just might win another Fall Classic.
The Royals might very well like to be that team. But can the Rangers, even with their stacked lineup and deep outfield, be convinced to let García go?
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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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