The MLB offseason shifts as quickly as the calendar turns from one day to the next. Thirty different teams have thirty different approaches to the winter ahead, and the recent trade between the Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles perfectly illustrates how moves can come out of left field.
Taylor Ward was a popular trade candidate this offseason, but few predicted that Baltimore would be the team to acquire the rental outfielder. That deal removes a sensible fit from the board for Kansas City and may have altered the trade landscape heading into the holidays.
Simply put, this shouldn’t change what Kansas City needs to accomplish this offseason. It may just change who they can accomplish those objectives with. Here are three trade partners that make sense for the Royals as the Winter Meetings approach.
Ranking the 3 best OF trade partners for Royals this offseason
New York Mets
ESPN’s Jeff Passan recently released an offseason manifesto of sorts, laying out the latest free agency and trade buzz from around the league. Two notes both involving the Mets caught my attention.
First, Passan wrote that the NL East club is “blowing up plenty,” listing a number of players who could be available via trade. On the outfield side, he named veterans Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo as trade candidates.
McNeil isn’t a pure outfielder by trade, but he played all three outfield spots and second base effectively for the Mets in 2025. He’s also coming off a bounce-back year at the plate, posting a 111 wRC+ and a .168 ISO, his best offensive output since 2019.
While he’s well removed from his peak 2022 campaign, the 31-year-old is entering the final year of his contract with a club option for 2027. If the Mets want to cash in, the time to move him may be now.
Nimmo is a much bigger swing for any club, considering the eight-year, $162 million contract that keeps him signed through the 2030 season. But he has been Mr. Consistent in New York’s outfield, and his production would have Royals fans over the moon.
Availability is one of the most underrated assets in baseball, and Nimmo’s four consecutive seasons with 150+ games played prove his durability. He’s transitioned from center field to left in recent years and has handled both spots capably. While he doesn’t have McNeil’s positional versatility, if Kansas City wants a true everyday left fielder, Nimmo fits the bill.
The question becomes: What would it cost to take on the remainder of his contract, especially from an owner who’s shown a willingness to carry a bloated payroll?
That’s where Passan’s second Mets-related note comes into play.
While the team is losing several key players this winter, it was the trade availability of Mets starter Kodai Senga that stood out. Passan noted that the Mets are “looking to overhaul their rotation.” On paper, their rotation looks pretty set: Senga returns, and young arms like Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat are knocking on the door of the big leagues with varying degrees of upside.
Still, with the word “overhaul” being used, it seems no scenario is off the table and that could open the door for Kansas City’s group of young, controllable arms to enter the conversation.
This isn’t a trade partnership Royals fans should bank on. But the Mets have a track record of making surprise moves, especially under the current front office.
If the Royals allocate their free agent budget to adding bats and bullpen help, a trade for starting pitching might be the more strategic route. And if the Mets truly are open for business, Kansas City should at least be picking up the phone.
Boston Red Sox
The situation remains straightforward and increasingly hard to ignore.
MLB.com’s latest All-Trade-Rumor Team featured Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran under the “high” trade buzz category, with Mark Feinsand calling him “the most logical candidate to be used in a deal for pitching.”
For Royals fans, the potential fit is obvious. Duran brings speed, on-base skills, and improved defense traits that would slot in well alongside Kansas City’s current core, particularly in a left field role that remains a glaring need.
Boston’s reported willingness to also entertain offers for Wilyer Abreu only strengthens the case. Though their outfield isn’t overflowing with surplus talent, the Red Sox do have enough depth to move one of these left-handed bats especially with their rotation still lacking stability behind Brayan Bello. If they want proven, controllable pitching, the cost will come from their position-player strength.
The Royals have made it clear they’re willing to deal from their pitching depth to address outfield concerns. Duran’s age, years of control, and breakout performance in 2025 make him a prime target. He may not come cheap, but he doesn’t require Kansas City to overextend into free agency or mortgage the farm.
As for the inevitable Boston wishcasting about acquiring Vinnie Pasquantino, take that with a shaker of salt. The Royals’ first baseman remains a key part of their offensive foundation, and there’s no indication Kansas City is considering moving him.
This is the kind of deal that makes sense for both sides: a team with pitching depth and outfield holes talking with a club that needs rotation help and has an MLB-ready outfielder to spare. The dots are there. Now it’s a matter of who picks up the phone first.
Chicago Cubs
The NL Central club entered this offseason with some egg on its face. The Cubs had high expectations after trading for outfielder Kyle Tucker, but a second-place finish behind the Milwaukee Brewers led into an early postseason exit for Chicago.
The franchise continues to post a pitiful revenue-to-payroll ratio an embarrassment for an organization that claims to be putting the best product possible on the field for fans at Wrigley. The debacle involving pitcher Shota Imanaga’s qualifying offer only compounds matters, further putting them behind the eight ball.
There’s now a real path where Chicago becomes hesitant to spend aggressively in free agency, largely because of Imanaga’s one-year, $22.025 million contract for 2026. The team had been linked to top free-agent arms like Dylan Cease and Framber Valdez, but would they shy away from additional payroll jumps while still needing to address a corner outfield spot?
If their free-agent budget is redirected toward outfield help, then trading for pitching becomes the more economical approach and that’s where the Royals could step in.
Cubbies Crib’s Brandon Glick already identified Kris Bubic as “a strikingly good fit for the top of the Cubs’ rotation,” even before Imanaga accepted his qualifying offer. The trade fit isn’t seamless, especially with incumbent outfielders Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki both holding full no-trade clauses. But a narrow path exists, perhaps with Happ, who’s entering the final year of his deal, becoming a trade-and-sign candidate for Kansas City.
While it wouldn’t be the traditional NBA-style sign-and-trade, if the Cubs give Happ’s camp permission to explore trade partners, Kansas City should be first in line. His switch-hitting bat posted a 116 wRC+ in 2025, and his glove in his natural position of left field would answer some of the Royals’ most pressing offseason questions.
If Happ isn’t a viable option, the Cubs have other players who could make an impact in Kansas City. Outfielder Kevin Alcántara is in a roster crunch with no remaining minor-league options heading into his age-23 season. He bounced between Triple-A Iowa and the big-league club in 2025 but struggled to find consistent playing time. Chicago could choose to stash him as a bench bat, but Kansas City might be able to pry away the highly regarded prospect.
Owen Caissie feels like more of a stretch, particularly since he still has minor-league options and more long-term value. The former Padres draftee will also be 23 on Opening Day and, unlike Alcántara, should benefit from more consistent MLB reps in 2026. If the Cubs try to carry both young outfielders alongside veterans like Happ, Suzuki, or any new additions, someone may eventually be squeezed out.
Chicago doesn’t boast the surplus of outfield talent that some other clubs do, but there’s still a potential match here. The Cubs’ offseason direction will become clearer in the coming weeks, but considering the two teams were in trade discussions as recently as this past summer, there’s clearly a functional relationship between the front offices. If Chicago decides it wants a left-handed starter, Kansas City is just a call away.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
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