Royals send 2.55 ERA pitcher out in predicted trade for hitter

Royals send 2.55 ERA pitcher out in predicted trade for hitter originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Kansas City Royals have a strong core.

But to return to contention in a solid AL Central, they’ll need to continue to find ways to improve this offseason.

If anything, they might want to add to their batting lineup.

To do that, a pitcher trade could be on tap. And they’ve got an intriguing piece whose timeline suggests a trade could be coming soon.

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MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand explained in a new article why Kris Bubic is a logical candidate for the Royals to send out in a deal.

“Kansas City has rotation depth from which to deal, making Bubic – who is in his final year of arbitration – a potential trade chip,” Feinsand writes. “With Cole Ragans set to return in 2026 to join Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha atop the rotation, the Royals could take advantage of Bubic’s strong 2025 season – he had a 2.55 ERA in 20 starts (116 1/3 innings) before a left rotator cuff strain ended his year prematurely – to help fortify the roster elsewhere.”

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A Bubic deal likely depends on a couple different factors.

One is his health. An acquiring team wouldn’t want to add a pitcher they feel is a high risk of immediate re-injury.

Another is belief in what he did in 2025. Do an opposing team’s analytics say that Bubic’s 2.55 ERA is something to buy into?

But if those boxes get checked, Bubic is a legitimate trade candidate. The Royals don’t necessarily need him, and he could fetch a starting bat in a deal. That’s something at least worth considering in Kansas City.