Diamondbacks $66 Million Slugger Could Land With Royals In Possible Blockbuster
The Kansas City Royals' offseason is off to a good start, but it's only that--a start.
So far, the Royals solidified their rotation by re-signing Michael Wacha to a three-year extension, then turned around and traded a member of that rotation in Brady Singer for a new leadoff hitter, Jonathan India. But the lineup still is not a finished product.
In 2024, the Royals' offense was carried by the superhuman efforts of Bobby Witt Jr., with some RBIs from Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino sprinkled in. Adding another bat in the middle of the order would go a long way toward taking the Royals from a Wild Card team to true World Series contenders.
Another trade could be the ticket for the Royals, who likely don't have the budget to compete with the big market teams for top free-agent bats. An intriguing option for such a trade was posed on Tuesday.
Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors named Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez as a possible Royals trade target, as the 11-year veteran is coming to the end of his $66 million contract extension signed back in 2018.
"As with India, it seems a potential acquisition will come via trade," Franco said. "The Athletic writes that the Royals are likelier to acquire that middle-of-the-order target on the trade market rather than a free agent splash. That’s not surprising for a small-market franchise."
"Arizona could still move Eugenio Suárez after exercising a $15MM club option."
Suárez , 33, could cross the 300-home run barrier in 2025, as he currently sits at 272. He's hit at least 30 longballs in five of the last six full-length seasons, including a whopping 49 in 2019 with the Cincinnati Reds during the height of the juiced ball era.
The Royals would love to add a 30-homer bat to their lineup, but the Diamondbacks expect to contend too, so they'd have to be enraptured by whatever return Kansas City was sending them. But there's always a chance a team can deal an expiring contract, especially if they don't see themselves as World Series contenders.
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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