Any team that sees itself out of contention at the trade deadline will often be a seller, and unless the season turns around quickly, the Royals will be a team looking to trade pieces to be more competitive in future years.
Which players the team decides to deal will depend on how the organization feels about the pieces they have going into next season and the following seasons. If they sell only players on expiring contracts, this will likely indicate that the organization sees the team as competitive as early as 2027.
Now, if the team trades players with multiple years of control, this could signify a larger rebuild (or the organization might use the team re-tool). Players with more control tend to yield a better return, but will hurt the team’s chances of being competitive in the near future.
There are some players the Royals have that are untouchable in trades for a variety of reasons, such as Bobby Witt Jr. or Salvador Perez. However, there are plenty of other players the team could look to deal near the August 3rd trade deadline.
Here’s a look at four possible trade candidates and what they offer a team looking to acquire them. I’ll also include a list at the end of players that could be dealt if they are looking to shake things up on a larger scale.
Lane Thomas – OF, 50 G, 99 wRC+, 0.5 fWAR
Thomas is no stranger to being in the rumor mill as a possible trade deadline target for a contending team. He has been traded twice near the trade deadline. He was first traded in 2021, which sent him from St. Louis to Washington in a one-for-one swap for Jon Lester. The second time he was traded at the deadline was in 2024 when the Nationals traded him to the Cleveland Guardians in return for two minor leaguers, and infielder Alex Tena, who has served as a utility player for the Nationals the past few years.
Now, why would a team want to acquire Thomas? The most obvious being that he is a right-handed hitter who has historically crushed lefties, with a career .850 OPS vs lefties. He hasn’t been quite that stellar against lefties this year, but has still hit for a solid .759 OPS against southpaws on the year.
With the ability to play all three outfield spots, Thomas offers the ability to be a fourth outfielder with the ability to jump into a starting role against lefties in particular. He also has above-average arm strength in the outfield and has positive baserunning value as well. He also has a solid walk rate, which would contribute to a team looking for more on-base ability during a playoff run.
While the return the Royals would get might be seen as minimal, Thomas is on an expiring contract, so the possibility of getting a minor leaguer who may contribute in the future would be better than letting him walk at the end of the year for no return.
Matt Strahm – LHP, 23 G, 7.48 FIP, -1.0 fWAR
Strahm is another impending free agent that a contending team may look to acquire at the trade deadline. His numbers on the year have not been great, but a team may look to buy low and use him as a lefty out of the bullpen, especially if they are looking for someone to get a tough lefty out in a key spot in a tight situation.
Lefties are hitting .208 off of Strahm this year, while righties are hitting .246. Over his career, he has actually been better against right-handed batters, which shows he can hold his own in a middle relief role, especially with the three-batter minimum rule.
If he can look a bit better than his 7.49 FIP between now and the trade deadline, the Royals could look to get something in return for him, especially since he is on an expiring contract.
Kris Bubic – LHP, 9 GS, 3.71 FIP, 0.8 fWAR
Bubic might be the most coveted trade target on the Royals roster in the next couple of months. He has pitched to a 4.11 ERA over 50 ⅓ innings, recording 51 strikeouts with a 1.23 WHIP on the year. Similar to Thomas and Strahm, Bubic is on an expiring contract.
Bubic was an All-Star in 2025 prior to being shut down in late July with a rotator cuff injury. He made 20 starts, throwing 116 ⅓ innings with a 2.55 ERA and 116 strikeouts. He was healthy to start the 2026 season, but has been sidelined since May 18 after experiencing soreness in his left elbow. Unfortunately, he had a setback during his rehab stint, this time with a shoulder issue.
If Bubic can come back healthy and throw a few good starts for the Royals, a contending team may look to acquire him for a postseason push of their own, with the Royals looking like a likely seller. How he looks in his potential return could dictate what type of return the Royals get for him if he is dealt come late July or early August.
John Schreiber – RHP, 31 G, 5.15 FIP, -0.3 fWAR
Schreiber is also an impending free agent and has been very solid out of a Royals bullpen that has struggled on the year. Schreiber has thrown 28 ⅔ innings, recording 21 strikeouts with a 2.83 ERA and 5.16 FIP.
While those numbers don’t jump off the page at you, contending teams are always looking for reliable bullpen help, even if they see their bullpen as a strength. Schreiber is not necessarily a reliever that a contending team will toss into a high-leverage role, but is someone who could, in the right situation, get some key outs in tight situations.
A low to mid leverage reliever who is an impending free agent may not get a return that will catch headlines, but it gives the organization an opportunity to see if they can find a diamond in the rough type prospect and turn a couple of months of Schreiber into a contributor in the future.
While this focused on impending free agents, if the Royals decide to sell on players with more team control, the deadline could get much more interesting. They won’t trade any players they deem as part of the core of the next contending team in Kansas City, but here is a list of players that could interest contending teams, and the Royals may move if they deem the return is too good to pass up.
Who do you think the Royals should, or shouldn’t, trade? Any other names not mentioned that the team should look to sell on?
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source royalskeep.com ’
