One big outfield bat could make a world of difference for the Kansas City Royals next season.
The Royals finished the year 82-80, just four games back of a wild card berth, despite scoring the fifth-fewest runs in Major League Baseball. Their outfield combined for -1.1 fWAR, the lowest number out of all 30 teams.
Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox appear to have an outfielder to spare, as Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Ceddanne Rafaela are all worthy of starting 150-plus games in the field if healthy. That may open the door for the Royals to grab not just a quality outfielder, but one with years of control.
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Royals linked to Jarren Duran trade by insider
In a recent column, Anne Rogers of MLB.com confirmed that the Royals were at least considering the possibility of trading for Duran, the oldest of those Red Sox outfielders and also the closest to free agency. But Rogers’ also reported that early in the offseason, Boston’s demands for Duran were beyond what the Royals were comfortable paying.
“I’ve heard that right now, the price the Red Sox are asking for is too high for the Royals to feel comfortable about it,” wrote Rogers. “But we’ll see how that shifts throughout the winter.
“The two teams match up on paper. The Royals want an outfielder who can add to their offense, which the Red Sox have in Duran or Wilyer Abreu. Boston wants Major League-ready starting pitching. The Royals have that.”
Duran, 29, is set to make $7.7 million this season and has two more years of control after that via arbitration. He didn’t match his otherworldly, near-9-WAR season from 2024 this year, but he still managed to rack up 4.7 bWAR and an impressive 70 extra-base hits.
How achievable trading for Duran is for Kansas City likely comes down to which big-league pitchers Boston is willing to accept. If it’s Cole Ragans or nothing, it’s going to be nothing. If it’s Noah Cameron or Kris Bubic, there’s definitely reason to believe the Royals would be willing to pull the trigger, depending on which other players are involved.
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