The Royals had a quiet Winter Meetings, but have been pretty active in the days since, signing outfielder Lane Thomas to a one-year deal, and inking All-Star third baseman Maikel Garcia to a long-term deal. In his write-up of the Garcia deal, ESPN reporter Jeff Passan notes the Royals continue to be active on the trade market in their pursuit for offensive help. He mentions that the Royals have asked about Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, echoing rumors that have swirled all offseason. But his report includes some new names linked to the Royals – Nationals infielder CJ Abrams and pitcher MacKenzie Gore.
The Royals have been active on the trade market too, looking to acquire another outfielder. They have discussed acquiring Jarren Duran from the Boston Red Sox and inquired about pitcher MacKenzie Gore and infielder CJ Abrams from the Washington Nationals, according to sources. Though the talks haven’t yielded a deal, the Royals’ efforts to improve on an 82-80 season are clear.
The Nationals hired Paul Toboni this offseason to run baseball operations, and he may look to rebuild a franchise that has not had a winning record since they won a title in 2019. Abrams has a skillset the Royals typically like, a speedster with some good power that can play up the middle. The left-handed hitter was an All-Star in 2024, and put up nearly identical numbers this year, hitting .257/.315/.433 with 13 home runs and 31 steals. He has been a 3+ rWAR player in each of the last three seasons, and has hit 18+ home runs and stolen 30+ bases in each of those seasons.
Abrams has played shortstop for the Nationals, but has been a poor defender there, so a move to second may be a good transition for him. The 25-year-old is under club control through the 2028 season and is projected to earn $5.6 million through arbitration. He was demoted late in the 2024 season after pulling an all-nighter at a casino hours before a day game.
Gore earned his first All-Star appearance last year and broke through with a 3.0 rWAR season, despite a lackluster 5-15 record. The left-hander posted a 4.17 ERA and 3.74 FIP with 185 strikeouts in 159.2 innings. He is projected to earn $4.7 million in arbitration this year, and is eligible for free agency after the 2027 season.
Since the Nationals are rebuilding, they would likely be looking for minor league prospects rather than the MLB pitching surplus the Royals have reportedly shopped to other teams. They just acquired catching prospect Harry Ford from the Mariners, so they may not be as interested in the Royals’ catching depth in the minors. But they have a farm system ranked #21 by Baseball America and could use all the depth they can get.
It seems clear the Royals are doing their due diligence to upgrade a lineup that finished with the fifth-fewest runs in baseball. Whether or not they have the assets and willingness to pull the trigger on a deal remains to be seen.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.royalsreview.com ’
