Whit Merrifield Is Heating Up, and the Royals Should Trade Him
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Whit Merrifield was a late bloomer for the Kansas City Royals, as he didn't make his big-league debut until the team's World Series runs had already come and gone. He's only played on either mediocre or flat-out bad Royals teams, and the club has punted on the chance to trade him numerous times in the past.
It's well known that Kansas City's chances to get the best possible return for Merrifield are firmly in the rearview mirror. He's now in his age-33 season and saw his contract get reworked earlier in the year. After he started the season hitting .135 in his first 26 games, a trade seemed virtually impossible. Now one wants a bad player, right? Not so fast. Merrifield has been heating up as of late, which may be opening that window again.
May 8, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Kansas City Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield (15) hits a sacrifice fly ball to score a run against the Baltimore Orioles during the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
In 27 games since his rough start, Merrifield has been one of the Royals' most productive hitters. Over the course of that span, he's slashing .298/.333/.447 — good for a .780 OPS — with a strikeout rate of just 13.8%. Entering Tuesday's play, his 123 wRC+ in that sample ranks 35th among all players in the American League. Merrifield is back to hitting at a high level, and he's been doing it for nearly a full month now.
Because of that, it's time for the Royals to at least make an attempt to trade him.
The MLB trade deadline isn't until early August, so riding out this hot stretch of play and hoping that it brings up Merrifield's overall season numbers would be fair. If he can accomplish that, his value could be a bit higher as a result. On the other hand, it's entirely possible that Merrifield cools off at the plate and begins to show his age. After all, his last few seasons have seen his numbers decline. Playing the waiting game is a risky proposition but given how poorly the super-utility player began the year, it may be the most logical thing to do. His overall stats simply aren't appealing yet, despite his recent hot streak.
Why would a contending team want Merrifield? For starters, if this recent improvement is even 85% legitimate, he's suddenly worth putting in the lineup as either a leadoff option or a mainstay elsewhere as someone who can collect hits at a very respectable clip. Merrifield has never drawn many walks, but his ability to get hits and subsequently steal bases may not have evaded him just yet. In the field, he's also capable of manning second base, right field and center field. If he had to, he could likely hold down left field as well. His versatility applies to both the batting order and the fielding lineup.
May 28, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder Whit Merrifield (15) crashes into the wall after making a leaping catch against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports
Secondly, Merrifield's contract is quite palatable for a big-market or currently-winning organization. His $2.75 million base salary for 2023 is easy to swallow, as is the added $4M in possible incentives. If he's a solid contributor in his age-34 campaign, is that worth a maximum of $6.75M for a team pursuing a deep playoff run? Almost surely. Merrifield's deal does come with a mutual option for 2024 but at $18M, it's all but guaranteed to be declined by the club. Whatever hypothetical team that acquires him would also have a $500,000 buyout attached to the option.
What would Merrifield return in a trade? At this point, probably not a ton. Unless more cash or another current big-leaguer or prospect were attached in a package with him, Kansas City's net gain would figure to be a mid-level prospect. There's value in recouping that, however, especially for an organization that has several middle-infield prospects developing as we speak. Merrifield may not have a place in the club's lineup a year from now, so there's something to gain simply from opening up that logjam as well.
Over the years, the Royals have botched multiple opportunities to trade Merrifield and get something nice in return. Their asking price was simply too high in those instances, prompting other teams to presumably turn their noses up during negotiations. Kansas City also hinted at wanting to compete in 2022 and 2023, at which points Merrifield was believed to still be a viable piece to have on the team.
Things have changed, yet the player who doesn't fit the new timeline still remains in place and gets everyday at-bats. It remains to be seen whether Merrifield can keep up his recent great play or if the Royals will finally pull the trigger on a trade but if they're smart, they'll at least consider it. They'll be getting rid of him for pennies on the dollar compared to what could have been, although now all they can do is deal with their self-induced reality.
