MLB Trade Deadline 2017: 5 moves the Royals need to make

The Kansas City Royals are back from the dead and hold a Wild Card spot. Here are five moves that could help them stay there.

On the final day of May, the Kansas City Royals sat 22-30, all but left for dead this season. It was now a matter of time before Dayton Moore and his front office would be forced to auction off Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain, right? Wrong.

Since June 1, the Royals are 30-17 and have been the best team in the AL Central. They currently hold a one-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays for the second AL Wild Card and are only 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Indians for the division lead. The front office is now focused on buying at the deadline and for better or worse, all of the Royals pending free agents will play out the entire year in Kansas City.

The Royals never wanted to believe this magic era of World Series berths and excitement with this core was going to come to an end. It still may, but there is still time for one more epic run with the group that brought home the first championship since 1985. The Royals have already made one splashy move to acquire Trevor Cahill and two relievers from the San Diego Padres. Their farm system has been stripped down by trades the past three years, but there is still enough there for one or two minor moves.

Needs

• Starting Pitching: Ian Kennedy’s second year with the Royals has not gone well. He is allowing close to two homers per nine and walking 3.6 per nine. Jason Hammel’s performance has also been spotty. Kennedy and Hammel are a combined 7-14 this year.
• Left Field: Alex Gordon’s struggles continue in the second year of his four-year deal. His skills have just completely eroded. The Royals have the second-worst left-field production in all of MLB. Ned Yost will be hard-pressed to ditch Gordon completely, but a power bat to slot in at DH would be nice. There are options available.
• Shortstop: The Royals have also been near the bottom of the league in offensive production at shortstop thanks to the inept hitting of Alcides Escobar. Whit Merrifield has stabilized second base nicely, now time to solve the other spot up the middle.
• Bullpen: What contender couldn’t use more help out in the ‘pen? The Royals have had a solid bullpen this year, but nothing close to the dominance of their runs to the World Series.