<\/p>\n
Even after signing free agent Lane Thomas and trading for Isaac Collins, the Kansas City Royals are open to adding another outfielder \u2013 most notably Jarren Duran, if the Boston Red Sox lower their asking price.<\/p>\n
The Royals are under the impression Duran would cost them left-hander Cole Ragans, though the Red Sox view the initial talks as more informal and exploratory, according to people briefed on the conversations.<\/p>\n
Both Ragans, 28, and Duran, 29, are under club control for three more seasons, with Ragans under contract for a combined $12 million in 2026-27 and Duran for $7.75 million in \u201926. The Royals, though, see Ragans as a player with greater value, a potential Game 1 starter in a postseason series.<\/p>\n
The St. Louis Cardinals\u2019 Brendan Donovan is another Royals target, but The Athletic\u2019s<\/em> Katie Woo reported Saturday<\/a> that the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants are the front-runners for the super-utility player.<\/p>\n The path for those teams to Donovan is cleaner than it is for the Royals. To make a deal happen, the Royals probably would need to orchestrate a three-way swap, trading left-hander Kris Bubic for prospects they could redirect to the Cardinals. Bubic, projected to earn $6 million<\/a> in arbitration before becoming a free agent, is of little interest to St. Louis, a rebuilding club.<\/p>\n The defensive versatility of Collins, who played mostly left field for the Milwaukee Brewers but also is experienced at both second and third base, is the reason the Royals can keep thinking big.<\/p>\n Collins, 28, satisfied the Royals\u2019 long-standing desire to acquire a switch-hitter. His .779 OPS last season would have ranked fifth on their club. And while he will need to prove his breakout was not an outlier, he reminds some Royals officials of Whit Merrifield, a productive member of the team from 2016 to \u201922.<\/p>\n If the Royals acquired Duran, he would play left with Jac Caglianone getting most of the at-bats in right. Thomas could play center against left-handers, Kyle Isbel against righties. Collins spell Caglianone against tough lefties, and second baseman Jonathan India against tough righties.<\/p>\n For now, it\u2019s all hypothetical, and maybe it stays that way. But so far this offseason, the Royals have added Thomas, signed Maikel Garcia to a five-year, $57.5 million extension and traded lefty reliever \u00c1ngel Zerpa for Collins and righty reliever Nick Mears. They plan to stay aggressive.<\/p>\n The Arizona Diamondbacks\u2019 two-year, $40 million agreement with right-hander Merrill Kelly, coupled with their one-year, $7.5 million signing of Michael Soroka, changes little in the team\u2019s approach to trading second baseman Ketel Marte, according to a club source.<\/p>\n The only difference now is that the Diamondbacks are more settled in their rotation. Ryne Nelson, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt are in place with Kelly and Soroka, and Corbin Burnes is expected back from Tommy John surgery at some point during the summer.<\/p>\n The DBacks, wanting to avoid getting caught short again, almost certainly will seek young pitching in any package for Marte, a switch-hitter and three-time All-Star. But the question remains: Will any team meet their price for a player whose contract is so affordable, The Athletic\u2019s<\/em> Eno Sarris estimated its surplus value<\/a> might be $100 million.<\/p>\n Marte, 32, is owed $102.5 million over the next six seasons, including $41 million in deferrals that do not get paid out until 10 years after the money is earned. Factoring in the deferrals, his average annual value<\/a> for luxury-tax purposes is $14.6 million, making him particularly attractive to big-market teams trying to stay under certain thresholds.<\/p>\nDBacks\u2019 Marte remains in play<\/h2>\n