The Kansas City Royals have a glaring need for offense and an abundance of starting pitching depth. They could be willing to trade from their pitching depth in order to land a big bat.
Their offense was the main problem in 2025, and it caused them to ultimately miss the postseason after winning a Wild Card spot in 2024. But an upgrade could put them back in contention in 2026.
Alex Speier of the Boston Globe notes that the Red Sox could be an ideal trade partner for the Royals if Ragans is available, given the Royals interest in outfielder Jarren Duran.
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Red Sox, Royals Could Be Ideal Trade Partners
The Royals have an obvious need for offense, and the Red Sox have plenty of bats on their roster. They could look to trade from that depth in order to land pitching, while the Royals could afford to move a pitcher to get what they need.
The Red Sox already acquired Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals, so they may not be looking for pitching anymore, but if Ragans is available, they could be an ideal trade partner for the Royals.
If the Royals do trade Ragans, their rotation might be a little bit weaker, but they would still have Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Noah Cameron in the mix, as well as All-Star Kris Bubic.
Bubic is somebody the Royals could trade with just one year left before free agency, but his injury history might make teams hesitate, which could allow them to pivot to Ragans, who has a few years of team control left.
That could make him an attractive trade piece for teams looking to add pitching, which could benefit the Royals. But Boston makes sense as a possible trade partner, and the Royals could easily acquire some offense from the Red Sox to give themselves a boost for 2026.
It will be interesting to see how the Royals go about adding offense, but if they want to get the best possible return, it might make sense for them to move Ragans, as they would still have a relatively strong starting rotation after the fact.
We’ll see if Boston decides to make a play for Ragans this offseason and what they might be willing to offer the Royals.
More MLB: Why Royals–Mets Blockbuster Trade Idea Makes Zero Sense For Kansas City
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