Royals No. 2 Prospect Called 'Trade Candidate' Ahead Of MLB Opening Day
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The Kansas City Royals don't have the world's deepest farm system, but they're stocked to the gills at one position in particular.
Currently, the Royals' number two, three, and 10 prospects are all catchers, according to MLB Pipeline. Plus, they have team captain Salvador Perez and his excellent backup Freddy Fermín at the big-league level.
In descending order, those prospects are 20-year-old Blake Mitchell, 21-year-old Carter Jensen, and 19-year-old Ramon Ramirez. Any of those three could one day be Perez's heir apparent, but by the laws of nature, all three can't fill that role.
It's easy to imagine that at some point, one of those young backstops could be moved. But as Opening Day arrives, the Royals may soon have to prioritize which one is the most important to keep around.
On Wednesday, David Hill and Seth Carson of Yardbarker identified a trade candidate for each American League team, and tabbed Mitchell as the most likely Royals player to be moved in 2025, thanks to the team's likely needs at other positions at the trade deadline.
"The Royals have an embarrassment of riches behind the plate in their system, with catchers accounting for two of their top three prospects," Hill and Carlson wrote. "Mitchell’s potential could headline a deal to land a needed bat as the Royals look to contend."
Mitchell was the Royals' first-round pick in 2023 and has the strongest arm. But Jensen is a year older and closer to the majors, and last season, he was slightly better than Mitchell at the plate.
There's also a hypothetical world where both players could one day be on the Royals' roster, with one of the two being moved to a different position. But Kansas City tried moving a minor league catcher to the outfield recently (MJ Melendez), and so far, the experiment has been a bust.
If Mitchell doesn't finish the season in the Royals' system, the odds are good that Kansas City will be in playoff contention and acquiring a very good player to help them for the stretch run. But it's always nerve-wracking to part ways with young talent.
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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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