Young Royals Starter Identified as Major Trade Chip This Offseason

This pitcher may be their top chip.

Apr 16, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Logo on stadium seats prior to the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Atlanta Braves at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Royals have a lot of young pitching depth on their roster that they can trade from to land a bat to boost their offense. The offense was what let them down in 2025 and caused them to miss the postseason.

But the Royals are fortunate to have a lot of pitching depth, and they can afford to sacrifice some of it to get what they need.

Anne Rogers of MLB.com outlined what the Royals will likely do at the Winter Meetings, which begin on Sunday. When listing the team’s trade chips, Rogers hinted at left-hander Noah Cameron.

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Noah Cameron May Be Royals’ Top Trade Chip

Sep 20, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Noah Cameron (65) on the mound during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

“Teams ask the most about Noah Cameron, who just finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting and isn’t a free agent until after the 2031 season. That’s a lot of control for the Royals to give up, and if teams believe Cameron might regress following his rookie year, they might not match up with what the Royals think they should receive,” Rogers wrote.

Cameron may regress a little in 2026, but he has several years of club control remaining, which teams should be interested in. He went 9-7 with a 2.99 ERA in 24 starts with the Royals this season and filled in nicely when Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo were on the injured list.

But teams in need of pitching might be looking into Cameron, especially if they have bats that they can afford to give up. Teams like the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals have logjams of position players.

The Cardinals would likely want a young arm like Cameron in exchange for Brendan Donovan, and the Red Sox could show interest if the Royals are targeting Wilyer Abreu or Jarren Duran.

The Winter Meetings is where the offseason activity will start to pick up, and the Royals should be a very interesting team to watch as they ramp up their search for offense. Cameron may end up being their top trade chip due to his years of club control.

He won’t be a free agent until 2032, so it’s going to be interesting to see if teams show interest and offer up a bat or two in order to land him.

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