Royals Trade Idea Would Land $21 Million Mets All-Star As Jac Caglianone 'Stopgap'
The Kansas City Royals have to be thrilled with how Jac Caglianone has performed in spring training. At the same time, it would be foolish to consider him an imminent solution to their outfield problems.
Caglianone, the Royals' top prospect and 2024 first-round pick, is now 6-for-11 with three home runs during the spring. That includes a 444-foot, 114.6-mile-per-hour rocket blast on Sunday off big-leaguer Aaron Civale of the Milwaukee Brewers.
At some point, Caglianone seems destined to become the Royals' fearsome cleanup hitter. But he also has only 29 games of Minor League Baseball experience under his belt. And he's also a first baseman by trade, while the Royals have one of those already in Vinnie Pasquantino.
The Royals' more pressing need is in the corner outfield, and it's tempting to dream on a scenario where Caglianone can fill that void soon. But the wisest move for the development of the 22-year-old may instead be to acquire a proven big-leaguer to ease some of the pressure on Caglianone to produce right away.
On Sunday, FanSided's Jacob Milham wrote that the Royals should consider a trade for New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte, who they've already been reported to be interested in acquiring, to allow Caglianone all the time he needs to develop this season.
"While Marte is trending toward being a bench piece for the Mets, he’d likely play a bigger role in Kansas City. The Royals have younger, cheaper depth options, but bringing in Marte could push Hunter Renfroe into a more part-time role," Milham wrote.
"Caglianone isn’t a natural outfielder — he’ll need time to develop defensively. Adding Marte would give the Royals the flexibility to let Caglianone progress at his own pace rather than forcing an early call-up."
Marte, 36, is a former two-time All-Star who slashed .269/.327/.388 with seven home runs over 94 games last season. He's set to make $20.75 million this season, so New York would likely have to eat a sizable chunk of his salary for a deal to be palatable to KC.
Eventually, if Caglianone hits enough in the minor leagues, he'll get his shot. But regardless of whether or not the Royals trade for Marte, they have to make sure that happens on a timeline driven by Caglianone's success, not the struggles of the Kansas City offense.
More MLB: Will Jac Caglianone Make Royals' 2025 Roster? Insider Details Most Likely Scenario
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