It’s the first week of spring training, pitchers are climbing back onto the mound, hitters are getting their first swings in, and optimism is in the air. And yet, for fans of the Royals, there’s still that lingering feeling that something is missing. All winter long, the expectation has been that the front office would land one more impact bat, an outfielder to lengthen the lineup. So far, that move hasn’t come.
Even though spring training games are about to begin, there is still plenty of time to make a move. J.J. Picollo told Anne Rogers at MLB.com the team could still pursue a right-handed bat.
“I think it’s about how that player fits on our current roster to make it make sense,” Picollo said. “Right-handed is maybe a little bit easier to slide in a piece. Where left-handed, it’s got to be a more prominent move because we have enough left-handed hitters we think can be a part of our 26-man roster and allow us to operate the way we want to.”
With six weeks until the season opener, the question isn’t whether the Royals need another right-handed bat – it’s whether they’re still willing to go get one. Here are some outfielders that could be available in a trade, particularly if their team finds they need to add some pitching.
Adell had a breakout season last year, slamming 37 home runs, the ninth-most in baseball. But power is pretty much all he brings to the table – he’s a low-average, low-walk, high-strikeout hitter. Still, the Royals need that kind of pop, and Adell is just 26 years old with two more years until free agency. Adell was one of the worst defenders in baseball in centerfield last year, but he could be a better defender in left field. The Angels would be wise to sell high on Adell and add some pitching with several controllable years. However, he was just a 1.2 rWAR player last year, so they shouldn’t expect top prospects.
DeLuca is a young guy you’d have to unlock more from, because he hasn’t produced at the big league level yet. Acquired by the Rays after the 2023 season in the Tyler Glasnow trade, he hit .217/.278/.331 with six home runs and 16 steals in 107 games in 2024, his only extended look in the big leagues. He appeared in just 20 games last year due to shoulder and hamstring injuries. As a minor leaguer, DeLuca had solid pop, good speed, and very low strikeout rates. His defense is good enough that he doesn’t need to hit that much to be valuable, but he may be too unproven to help the Royals.
Jasson Domínguez, Yankees
The Yankees have an outfield of Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Trent Grisham, with Spencer Jones knocking on the door as well, which may leave Domínguez as the odd man out. After being a highly ranked prospect, Domínguez had mixed results in his rookie season last year, hitting .257/.331/.388 with 10 home runs and 23 steals in 123 games and poor defense. But the 23-year-old switch-hitter has sky-high potential as a 30/30 player who has an excellent eye at the plate. The Yankees could option him to the minors and stash him away, but if they have moved on from him and are in need of starting pitching, the Royals could be a match.
Doyle is a two-time Gold Glover in centerfield who hit .260/.317/.446 with 23 home runs in 2024 as a 4.0 rWAR player. The problem is he was absolutely dreadful at the plate in 2025, batting .233/.274/.376 with 15 home runs in 138 games. That was with inflated numbers at Coors Field – he hit just .162/.209/.251 on the road! But there is some evidence that Coors messes with hitters on the road, and Doyle was quite good when facing just left-handed hitters. The 27-year-old has three more years of club control, so the Rockies may not be motivated to move him until he resurrects his value, but with a new GM, there may be changes coming to the roster.
The Padres seem likely to roll with an outfield of Laureano, Jackson Merrill, and Fernando Tatis Jr., with Miguel Andujar and Sung-Mun Song in the mix between the outfield and DH. But they could decide to deal some of their outfield depth to acquire another starting pitcher and make Laureano available in his last year before free agency.The 31-year-old hit .281/.342/.512, tying a career-high with 24 home runs in his time split between Baltimore and San Diego, and his 3.8 rWAR was the best of his career. Laureano has been an inconsistent performer – his numbers tanked in 2022-23, leading the A’s to put him on waivers. He has also had trouble staying on the field and is a poor defender. But he makes just $6.5 million this year, which should make him affordable even for the Royals.
The Royals were reportedly interested in Meyers earlier this offseason, and now that Houston has traded Jesús Sánchez, they may not be looking to move another outfielder. But the Astros need pitching, which could match them up nicely with the Royals. Meyers had a breakout season in 2025, hitting .292/.354/.373 with three home runs in 381 plate appearances. The 29-year-old Nebraska native is a plus defender in center and stole a career-high 16 bases last year. He doesn’t provide the kind of power the Royals are looking for, however, and his numbers benefited from a .351 BABIP.
Mayo isn’t an outfielder, but he’s taking reps there in spring training, and he may be available in a trade with the logjam the Orioles have in their lineup. Ranked as the #14 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline before the 2025 season, Mayo had an underwhelming start to his MLB career. He hit just .217/.299/.388 with 11 home runs in 85 games, but fared well against lefties. Mayo is hardly a sure thing, but he has a lot of potential if the Royals are willing to take the gamble.
Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles
Mountcastle hasn’t played outfield since his rookie campaign of 2021, but he’s rumored to be available after the Orioles signed free agent first baseman Pete Alonso. Mountcastle hit 33 home runs that first year, but has seen his power slip each year, and he posted a career-worst OPS+ of 83 last season, although he was limited to just 89 games. It was a bit of a surprise he was tendered a contract, and the Orioles could be looking to move him and his $6.7 million salary for next to nothing at this point.
Ramos was an All-Star in 2024, and has hit 20+ home runs in each of the last two seasons. Last year he hit .256/.328/.400 in 157 games, but was worth just 1.2 rWAR due to dreadful defense in left. He has improved his walk and strikeout numbers and has put up an above-average OPS+ in each of the last two seasons. He is just 26 years old and has three controllable years left. If the Giants feel Drew Gilbert is ready for a starting role, they could look to move Ramos and add a pitcher.
Steer has hit 20+ home runs in each of the last three seasons, but his wRC+ has regressed each season, sinking to 97 last year. He hit just .221/.297/.365 on the road, although his 2024 numbers were quite good. He has had unusually low BABIP numbers the last two seasons, and his 10.1 percent career walk rate is fairly strong. Steer moved from left field to first base in 2025, but his defensive metrics in the outfield, while below average, weren’t awful. The Reds have top prospect Sal Stewart challenging Steer for a job, so he could be expendable soon.
Vientos is not really an outfielder, but he’s so bad defensively as an infielder that a move to the outfield might be what he needs. He smacked 27 home runs in 2024, although that number fell to 17 in 2025. He hit just .233/.289/.413 overall, with a walk rate of just 6.5 percent. He’s just 26 years old with three more years of club control and has a lot of power potential. The Mets could still hang on to Vientos as a right-handed platoon option for first baseman/DH Jorge Polanco, but it could also make sense to move him for more pitching depth.
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