3 sneaky strong trade chips Royals could use to land much needed offensive upgrades

The Kansas City Royals have been linked to plenty of names on the trade market in recent weeks as they look to fill some gaping holes in their starting lineup.

While the rumor mill has really latched on to some higher profile names like ace Cole Ragans or All-Star Kris Bubic, Kansas City’s available trade chips don’t simply end there.

There are plenty of other names that the Royals have at their disposal who could easily be considered expendable this winter. Their rotation surplus goes beyond Ragans and Bubic and they also have certain positions with far too much prospect depth at the moment.

Now, do these other names have the same All-Star pedigree that the two aforementioned big fish have? No.

That being said, there’s plenty of names who could hold plenty of intrigue around the league in prospective trade talks.

3 sneaky strong trade chips Royals could use to land much needed offensive upgrades

Ryan Bergert – Starting Pitcher

The Royals currently have seven names they could feel confident in taking the mound to start a major league game.

With only five spots in the rotation though, unless a move for a name like Bubic or Ragans occurs, Bergert finds himself on the outside looking in, as their sixth or seventh best option.

This means there’s a real possibility that the Royals would be forced to option him to Triple-A to start the season, despite how strong he looked in his rookie campaign in 2025.

Depth is important, but the thought of the 25-year-old Bergert being stuck in Omaha after a 3.66 ERA season seems like a waste of talent, especially when they also have the likes of Stephen Kolek and Bailey Falter who have plenty of major league starts under their belts as well.

Along with those two, they also have the pair of recent 40-man additions in Ben Kudrna and Steven Zobac that could potentially be promoted mid-season to fill a needed.

When you consider his serviceable first year numbers, his diverse five pitch arsenal, and the fact he still has thee more years until he even reaches arbitration, he seems to be one of the better controllable young arms on the market.

And there’s already teams who’ve made it known that this is precisely the profile of arm their looking for this winter.

Luinder Avila – Starting Pitcher/Relief Pitcher

There’s always going to be value in flexibility and that’s precisely what an arm like Luinder Avila can bring to the table.

A starter by trade, the Royals promoted the Top 15 organizational prospect in Avila to fill a late season role in the bullpen, and he looked excellent as a reliever.

In 14.0 big league innings across 13 outings, Avila tossed a 1.29 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and .140 BAA with 10.29 K/9. His 60 grade curveball was also dazzling as well, generating a 50.0% whiff rate with hitters only managing to post a .095 AVG against it. This paired nicely with his secondary four seamer, which sat at 95.8 mph and held a perfect .000 AVG against it with just a .162 xBA.

His strong first impression already puts him in the driver’s seat to receive a major league bullpen role. But then when you consider the fact he’s capable of being a starter, it increases his value significantly.

Now, he may not have had great success as a starting option in Triple-A Omaha this past year, posting a 5.23 ERA in 14 outings (nine of which were starts). However, injuries played a factor in that and he’s looked somewhat better in year’s past.

Is he a surefire big league starter moving forward? No.

However, the fact that teams have the option to either continue to mold him as a starter or immediately play to strengths put him in the bullpen is flexibility that could be coveted.

Ramon Ramirez – Prospect Catcher

Finally we fullt shift gears to the farm with a name that prospective trade suitors could dream on in the 20-year-old catcher Ramon Ramirez.

Currently MLB Pipeline’s No. 9 overall Royals prospect, Ramirez’s path to the majors is hard to see. That’s no knock on his ability though, the Royals simply have an abundance of catchers in the depth chart.

In the majors, veteran Salvador Perez and potential 2026 Rookie of the Year candidate Carter Jensen occupy the two main big league roles, with a potential Luke Maile-caliber replacement likely incoming for the third catchers spot. Then, the presence of the team’s second overall prospect in Blake Mitchell means Ramirez isn’t even the next best catcher in the minors.

This makes him all the more expendable, and when you consider the year he put together in the minor leagues in 2025, teams in need catching potential could be intrigued by whet he brings to the table.

In 307 plate appearances across 70 games in Low-A Columbia, he slashed .244/.339/.442 with 11 homers, 56 RBI an decently strong 11.7% walk rate and a well above-average 120 wRC+.

He’s got notable power potential with a 55 grade power tool according to Pipeline and a strong arm behind the dish to dream on with a 60 grade arm tool.

He may not be a prospect ready to make a big league impact this season or even next, but he’s certainly not a complete shot-in-the-dark by any means, making him a great prospect name for any team in need catching depth.