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MLB Trade Deadline: 5 trades Royals should make

By Parker Hurley

Jul 9, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield (15) hits a one run double in the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 9, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield (15) hits a one run double in the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 23, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Tyson Ross (38) pitches in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 23, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Tyson Ross (38) pitches in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Tyson Ross

The Royals rotation was due to put them in this situation. Ian Kennedy and Danny Duffy have been the team’s most consistent pitchers this year. Duffy spent time in the bullpen, and Kennedy was the off-season replacement for Johnny Cueto. That all said, the Royals are going to need pitching help moving forward.

Brian Flynn has some question marks and Yordano Ventura may not have the mental stamina to be a consistent major league pitcher. Edinson Volquez and Kris Medlen are free agents this year, and Jason Vargas has one year left on his deal. When it comes to filling out a five man rotation next year and moving forward, it gets a little bit murky.

Ross is a nice addition this year because he can potentially be had at a discount, and he has the potential to be a long-term fix. Ross currently has one year left of arbitration before being a free agent. It seems unlikely that the Padres will be able to re-sign him in 2018, so they would be better off trading him this year while he still has the entire 2017 season of team control.

That said, Ross has made one start this season and has rehabbed a shoulder since April. He was supposed to be back by the All-Star break, but a weird ankle injury pushed back his rehab stint. Now the Padres are scrambling to find a potential prospect for Ross, and only a couple of teams would be willing to take the shot on him.

The Royals make sense because they are far enough back this year that if a small break doesn’t go their way; whether it is involving him or the team, they can just shut it down and know they are bringing him back with the core for next year. They then have the entire off-season to see where they stand not only with him but all of their other pitching options. They then can decide to extend Ross, and move forward with him as their ace, or let a large portion of their core go after 2017 and start rebuilding.

It would only take a team with a situation similar to the Royals to pull off a trade for Ross, and if the Royals were smart they would look long and hard into this deal.

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