The Kansas City Royals put together a very disappointing 2025 season. They won 82 games, but missed the playoffs as a result of their offense underperforming.
This offseason, the Royals know that they need to add a bat to their mix in order to bounce back into contention in 2026. Fortunately, the Winter Meetings are right around the corner.
The Royals will likely have to trade from their starting pitching depth to get a deal done. Cole Ragans has a few years of club control left and Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report predicts that they will send him to the Boston Red Sox for a bat.
If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.
Royals Line Up Well With Red Sox In Potential Deal
“With club control through 2028, he is one of the most valuable trade chips on the market, and the Royals will only move him if it means bringing back a proven big league bat, ideally an outfielder,” Reuter writes.
“The Red Sox have an abundance of outfielders and a clear need in the rotation, making them the obvious speculative trade partner”
The Red Sox have picked up a few starters in Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo, but they may need another big arm in their rotation. Ragans is not a free agent until 2029.
While he posted a 4.67 ERA in 2025 and dealt with injuries, the 27-year-old left-hander was an All-Star in 2024. He still has the potential to be an ace in any rotation.
The Royals could potentially bring back somebody like Jarren Duran or even Wilyer Abreu, as the Red Sox have a lot of position player depth. Both teams could get exactly what they need in a possible trade.
If the Royals do trade Ragans, they’ll still have a strong rotation with Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Noah Cameron and Kris Bubic, but they’ll also have the bat they need to be a true contender in 2026.
Offense is their top priority this offseason, and to get the best possible return, they may have to get a little uncomfortable and trade Ragans to another contender.
The Winter Meetings is where things should start to pick up, so it will be interesting to see if the Royals decide to shop Ragans in hopes of adding a bat.
More MLB: Royals And Red Sox Linked In Potential Blockbuster All-Star Trade
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.si.com ’
