Royals Urged To Send Breakout Star Away In 'Unpopular' Offseason Blockbuster
The Kansas City Royals could be a surprisingly active team on both the trade market and free agency front this winter.
After losing in the American League Division Series to the New York Yankees, the Royals know they have a long way to go before becoming true contenders. The offense was built around the premise of Bobby Witt Jr. being a superhero at all times, and the minute he went cold, the Royals couldn't score at all.
In order to get the offensive help they need, the Royals could look to trade from an area of depth: starting pitching. That means one starter whose value is at an all-time high after a breakout season might be worth shopping to pitching-needy teams this winter.
On Tuesday, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer suggested an "unpopular" trade idea for the Royals: dealing starter Brady Singer just months after the former Kansas City first-rounder finished off his best season yet.
"Since it would be out of character for the Royals to shop at the top of the free-agent market, it's hard not to think of them making a classic arm-for-bat trade. And if they do, Singer should be the one to go," Rymer said.
"He has value by way of being a 28-year-old who just made 32 starts and posted a 3.71 ERA, but he was merely the Royals' fourth-best starter. Singer would stand to play that part again if they're able to keep Michael Wacha, who has a $16 million player option for 2025."
Singer was the Royals' first-round pick in 2018, and while he showed flashes in seasons past, it took him until 2024 to finally deliver on that promise. Perhaps the Royals would be interested in capitalizing on that late breakout and trading Singer while he still has two years of team control.
It's tough to give up on any starting pitcher, yet Singer might be the luxury the Royals don't need. Not using him in the playoffs could be a sign that he's better served as bait to get them the help they do need in the postseason rather than sticking around in K.C.
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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