Potential trade candidate: Jesús Sánchez

The Royals have been focused on trading their pitching depth for an outfielder, and could still use another bat despite adding Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas. One potential trade partner could be the Houston Astros, who are starved for starting pitching depth and have a surplus of outfielders. Earlier rumors focused on Jake Meyers, who the Royals were rumored to be interested in after his career season. But another outfielder that could be on the move is Jesús Sánchez.

The Astros just acquired Sánchez last summer from the Marlins in a trade for three players. But he hit poorly after going to Houston, batting just .199/.269/.342 with four home runs in 48 games. The Astros are also looking to cut costs to stay under the luxury tax threshold, and they could look to move Sánchez and his projected salary of between $6-7 million.

Jesús Sánchez was originally signed by the Rays out of the Dominican Republic, but was acquired by the Marlins in a trade in 2019, making his MLB debut the next year. The lefty bat impressed with 14 home runs in 64 games and a 115 OPS+ in 2021, but has failed to put up those kind of offensive numbers since. He has become a regular in the last three years, hitting .247/.314/.418 over that time. Last season he began the year on the Injured List with an oblique injury but hit well upon his return. But he slumped after the trade and finished at .237/.304/.395 with 14 home runs and 13 steals in 134 games, worth 1.3 rWAR.

Sánchez flashes surprising power at times, hitting a 496-foot blast at Coors Field in 2022, the longest ever by a left-handed hitter. All 14 of his home runs last year would have been home runs at Kauffman Stadium, and he has some of the best bat speed in the league. But he has been terribly inconsistent and is unplayable against lefties. He hit just .159/.227/.246 against southpaws this year, and is a .181 hitter against them in his career. He brought his strikeout rate down to a career-low 22.1 percent this year, while improving his walk rate to a decent 8.5 percent.

Sánchez has below-average sprint speed, but has stolen 29 bases in 34 attempts over the last two years combined. He is an average defender in right field, and has played some left field in his career, the position he would likely play in Kansas City if they traded for him. Sánchez just turned 28 years old and has two more years under club control before he becomes a free agent after the 2027 season.

Sánchez is coming off a poor second half, and the Astros may be motivated sellers if they are looking for a salary dump, so the acquisition cost could be at a discount. Bailey Falter is probably too low in value and doesn’t provide the salary relief they are looking for, but Stephen Kolek might be a better fit as a potential fifth-starter candidate for the Astros.

Sánchez is young enough to still have some upside left, and there is hope he can tap into some of the power/speed tools that made him a top 100 prospect when he was younger. The acquisition cost may be quite low, but this is probably a Plan B or Plan C for the Royals if more impactful trade talks fall apart.