Every November, Major League Baseball teams have to clean up their 40-man rosters, including adding back all their important players from the 60-day injured list. Some teams have roster crunches at that point, which means other teams could benefit by gaining some talent.
The Tampa Bay Rays designated nine players for assignment last week, an indicator of how much talent they lost to injury during the regular season, but also a tough break in terms of retaining some of their worthy 40-man depth. But the Kansas City Royals wouldn’t dare complain about that, because they were just in the position to benefit.
On Monday, the Royals and Rays announced a trade, which has also been reflected in their official transactions logs. Outfielder Kameron Misner has been shipped to Kansas City for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
The Rays have traded two other players since last Tuesday, but Misner is the first position player off the board after right-handed pitchers Joey Gerber and Cole Wilcox got dealt to the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners, respectively.
For the Royals, this move comes with a lot of upside. Misner has 85th percentile arm strength and 75th percentile sprint speed, and finished in the 79th percentile of Statcast’s Fielding Run Value, probably the most comprehensive way to determine defensive contributions, despite only playing 71 games.
Royals center fielder Kyle Isbel is no slouch himself, but we’re talking about a potentially elite center field defender, perhaps just a notch or two below the likes of Pete Crow-Armstrong or Ceddanne Rafaela, if Misner can do enough with the bat to get himself in the lineup consistently.
Unfortunately, Misner’s 72 OPS+ shows he still has a long way to go in that regard. And the slight risk for the Royals is that there could be another player involved, so if Misner doesn’t do anything in Kansas City, there’s a chance that whatever player the Royals send Tampa Bay’s way becomes useful.
However, the upside Misner showed in half a season definitely warranted the Royals giving him a look, even if offense is the more pressing need. He’s also got an .807 OPS in 131 Triple-A games, so the offense might be better in year two as a big-leaguer, assuming he makes the roster.
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