MLB Trade Grades: Royals upgrade suspect bullpen with Nationals reliever

The Kansas City Royals looked overmatched on Saturday, managing just four hits in a 5-0 loss against the Boston Red Sox, but that loss doesn't take away from what has been an awesome start to their 2024 campaign.

The Royals were expecting improvement after making several strong offensive moves, but at 52-44, they sit just 1.0 game back of the third Wild Card spot in the AL. They're right in the thick of it, and their front office just showed that they believe in them by adding some much-needed bullpen help.

As ESPN's Jeff Passan reported, the Royals acquired right-hander Hunter Harvey in a deal with the Washington Nationals. Harvey should slot right into high-leverage spots for the Royals and it wouldn't be surprising at all to see him close games.

MLB trade grades: Royals fortify bullpen by acquiring Hunter Harvey in deal with Nationals

The Royals are currently 22nd in the majors with a 4.30 bullpen ERA. If they want to not only get into the postseason but make a deep run, the 'pen is going to have to be much better. Adding a fireballer in Harvey should only help.

With Harvey having another full season of club control after this one, the Royals ensure that they have a promising late-game arm for the 2025 campaign as well, but also paid a hefty price to get the deal done considering the fact that the Nationals did not have to trade Harvey now.

Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports came through with the full details.

Harvey's 4.20 ERA is far from appealing, but that's mainly due to some struggles of late. He has an 8.04 ERA in 16 appearances since the start of June. As discouraging as that might be, he had a 2.15 ERA in his first 27 appearances of the season, recording 17 holds without blowing a single save. He had a strong season in 2023, and looked even better to start this season before his recent slump.

He has tremendous stuff, armed with a four-seam fastball that averages 97.8 mph and a split-finger that generates a 37.8 percent whiff rate according to Baseball Savant. Additionally, he has excellent command, issuing just 2.5 BB/9 in his career (2.4 BB/9 this season). His recent struggles will likely cause him to start as a set-up man, but it wouldn't be shocking to see him take over for James McArthur in the closer role when he reverts back to his usual form.

What Royals prospect did the Nationals land in Hunter Harvey trade?

The Royals acquired Harvey but gave up Cayden Wallace, their No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and their Competitive Balance A Pick, which happens to be the No. 39 overall pick in Sunday's MLB Draft. To put it lightly, that's a haul.

Let's get this out in the open. Yes, Wallace is Kansas City's No. 2 prospect, but not all farm systems are created equally. The Royals have one of the worst farm systems in the majors, and Wallace is not considered to be a top 100 prospect by MLB Pipeline.

While Wallace wouldn't be a No. 2 prospect for most teams, he is a good get for Washington. The 22-year-old third baseman is slashing .282/.350/.427 with 12 extra-base hits in 34 games for AA Northwest Arkansas. He was taken in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft, and if he continues to develop, he could find himself in the majors sometime next season.

Who won the Royals-Nationals trade?

It's clear that the Royals identified Harvey as their big reliever addition, and they were willing to do whatever it took to beat the competition to acquire him. By acquiring him weeks before the deadline, you knew they were going to have to overpay a bit. They did just that.

Giving up one of their best prospects and the No. 39 pick for 1.5 years of a reliever is not the best move they could've possibly made. Their farm system only gets more bare as a result, and if Harvey doesn't turn things around it can look really bad.

With that being said, the Royals should be applauded for their aggressiveness in getting this deal done. They filled a major need by acquiring one of the best available arms who happens to also have an additional year of control. Did they give up too much? Yeah, probably. Will it matter if they can make a deep October run? Probably not.

The Nationals weren't going to trade Harvey without a haul, and they got exactly what they wanted. They did really well The Royals might've benefitted by waiting, but they might've lost the player if they did wait. They got their guy. Harvey at his best is probably worth this haul considering the extra season. Hopefully for their sake, he can get back to that with this change of scenery.

Nationals trade grade: A
Royals trade grade: B-