Royals may not have clear trade deadline strategy yet, but 3 players aren’t making things any easier

At 34-48, the Kansas City Royals appear on paper as team that should be sellers at the deadline. However, as USA Today’s Bob Nightengale pointed out late Thursday night, everyone could still be in the running for the final AL Wild Card spot, even the last place Royals and Los Angeles Angels who sit 5.5 games back of the 40-43 Houston Astros.

That being said, with so many teams in front of them and with how consistent they’ve been all season, even when they can put runs together, it still seems far-fetched to think that the Royals could complete the turnaround and firmly enter themselves back into the postseason conversation. Selling seems the most logical, however several names who once seemed prime trade assets now suddenly seem less and less desirable, leaving the Royals with less options to try and retool for 2027 and beyond.

While they certainly still have numerous names that seem like logical ones to trade ahead of Aug. 3, there are three names in particular across their lineup, starting rotation and bullpen who could be ruining the Royals’ chances at getting the best possible return for a potential retool.

Seth Lugo’s month of June may’ve made him less enticing for trade suitors

Now, compared to other names on this list. Seth Lugo’s season hasn’t been nearly as bad, but with the trade deadline just over a month away, he hasn’t exactly put his best foot forward this month in particular.

Now, a terrifying injury because of a comebacker off the head put a slight damper on his month, but he’s still mustered four starts in June and they’ve made him look more like the pitcher that he was in his down year in 2025 and less like the near Cy Young arm he was in 2024. Through those four starts, he’s posted a 6.52 ERA, 7.29 FIP, 1.45 WHIP and .284 BAA and is coming off a brutal seven earned run outing his time out on Thursday in Tampa Bay.

Now, given he’s still an experienced arm with postseason experience and just two years removed from finishing as the runner-up for the Cy Young award, he will certainly still have suitors. However, the fact remains he’s steadily declined month-over-month since his 2.63 ERA he posted in the opening month of the season.

Lugo’s now sitting above a 4.00 ERA as a 36-year-old arm with a guaranteed $21.5 million waiting for him in 2027 and uninspiring underlying metrics. There’s no denying that as he continues to trend downwards there are certainly bound to be some hesitancies potential suitors might have with him that may lessen a potential trade return for the Royals if they decide to part ways with him.

Matt Strahm has been nowhere near the elite bullpen arm the Royals expected

So far in his second stint with the Royals, Strahm hasn’t looked anything like the All-Star set-up man he became during his time with the Philadelphia Phillies over the three seasons prior to his arrival this winter.

Given the fact he’s on an expiring deal, perhaps he was never going to be a long-term bullpen solution for the Royals, but rather he was a gettable name to help them contend in 2026. However, now that Kansas City doesn’t remotely appear to be the contending force many thought they would be, perhaps he may not be a desirable trade asset any longer either.

Through 25.2 innings of work this season, Strahm is throwing to a measly 5.96 ERA, 7.00 FIP and 1.36 WHIP.

While he may have the pedigree of a high profile left-handed set-up man that many would normally find appealing, the fact remains that he’s severely underperforming and an impending free agent at season’s end. That’s not exactly the recipe for a decent return for a potential competitive retool.

Royals may not be able to get much of a return on their Starling Marte investment

Then there’s Starling Marte, who was somewhat of an 11th hour signing ahead of Opening Day and seemed like a wise investment regardless of the Royals competitive plan this season. He’s a two-time All-Star with 20+ HR and 40+ stolen base pedigree in his prime that still managed to post a 112 wRC+ with the Mets last season, even if he wasn’t the power and speed threat he once was. The Royals desperately needed outfield help and he seemed much better than nothing.

However, despite having some bright moments this season and looking like an above-average bench piece at times, he hasn’t looked like that over the past month or so. Since May 25, the aging outfielder is looking like just that, slashing .216/.286/.324 with a 68 wRC+ in 42 plate appearances.

For the season, he’s now only an 84 wRC+ hitter with a strikeout rate over 25% and below average advanced metrics such as a 37.5% hard-hit rate and 7.1% walk rate.

He’s nearing the end of his career at 37-years-old and isn’t remotely showcasing the skills that made him a notable name across the league to begin with. With an expiring contract in addition to all of this, he may not be the Top 100 trade candidate that ESPN tabbed him as earlier this month.