Royals Could Land All-Star, Former Batting Champ In Blockbuster Trade With Rays
2024 was a solid start for the Kansas City Royals. In 2025, they need to hit the accelerator.
The Royals completed a remarkable turnaround, going from a franchise-record 106 losses in 2023 to a playoff berth and Wild Card Series victory the following year. But last week, the Royals fell flat against the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, proving they weren't yet ready to be true contenders.
The biggest issue for the Royals is that the lineup just isn't very deep. Behind superstar Bobby Witt Jr., the Royals have a great-hitting catcher in Salvador Perez, a solid first baseman in Vinnie Pasquantino, and no other consistent lineup presence.
What the Royals need is a pure hitter, and they could find one in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays for their outstanding leadoff man Yandy Díaz. Díaz was named the number-nine trade chip on this winter's market by Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report.
"(Díaz's) three-year, $24 million deal was back-loaded, and his 2025 salary is poised to make him one of the highest-paid players on the Rays roster," Reuter said. "He was a popular name at the trade deadline and could be shopped more aggressively this winter."
Díaz, 33, is exclusively a first baseman in Tampa Bay and would wind up taking over the designated hitter role if he moved to Kansas City. He's not fleet of foot and doesn't have game-changing power. But what he can do is flat-out rake.
This season, Díaz slashed .281/.341/.414, which arguably would have made him the Royals' third-best hitter, and it was a major down year. In 2023, when he finished sixth in MVP voting, Díaz won the batting title at .330, and added a .410 on-base percentage and .522 slugging percentage.
If the Royals added Díaz at the top of their lineup, Witt would be batting with a runner on base in front of him far more often. That could jump-start the entire offense, making the Royals a much bigger threat to do serious postseason damage in 2025.
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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