\n\tRoughly three weeks remain until the All-Star Break gives most of the Kansas City Royals a few days\u2019 relief from the deepening disappointment of their once-promising 2026 season. A bad bullpen, an improving but still wanting offense, and too many injuries to key players have the Royals stranded in, or at best near, the American League Central cellar.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tBut the All-Star Break also marks that point of the summer when the trade market finally heats up \u2014 the August 3 major league trade deadline<\/a> will loom large when the Break ends and regular play resumes July 17.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tBarring some astonishing reversal of fortune, the Royals will be deadline sellers. With his club on pace to lose 90 games or more, general manager J.J. Picollo won\u2019t be looking for a playoff race roster edge; instead, he\u2019ll be fielding calls from legitimate contenders searching for game-changing down-the-stretch help.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tSelling is, of course, easier and almost always cheaper than buying. Because contenders seek valuable, proven big-league players, selling enables weaker teams to reduce payroll, typically in exchange for much cheaper prospects who may be years away from the majors.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tBut selling has its risks. Here are three Picollo must avoid.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tAs disappointing as this team is, tearing it down to facilitate another painful rebuild isn\u2019t warranted \u2014 the Royals aren\u2019t very good, but their cupboards are far from empty. Bobby Witt Jr.<\/a> is his usual self, and his season will sour only if his strained MCL turns into something worse. Jac Caglianone<\/a> (.275, .349 OBP, and a club-leading 12 homers through Sunday) seems to be living up to the huge hype he didn\u2019t live up to last year. Michael Massey<\/a> (.266 with seven homers and good defense) may end up proving he belongs at the keystone. Maikel Garcia<\/a> isn\u2019t at the top of his game<\/a>, but will be fine. Although a foot injury currently sidelines center fielder <\/a>Kyle Isbel<\/a>, his bat is better, and his defense remains excellent.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tAnd while injuries continue to plague Cole Ragans<\/a> and Kris Bubic<\/a>, starters Stephen Kolek<\/a> (4-1, 2.68 ERA before St. Louis battered him Sunday) and Michael Wacha<\/a> (3.64 ERA and 10 quality starts in 15 tries) have been good. Daniel Lynch IV<\/a> is, with his steadiness and 2.53 ERA in 32 appearances through Sunday, the best in a troubled bullpen.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe Royals have enough talent to form a good present and future core; they don\u2019t require a complete overhaul. The time isn\u2019t ripe for the kind of hasty, ill-advised, \u201cburn it down\u201d approach that will leave the roster weaker on Aug. 4 than it is now.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tBut what about prospects, you say? The farm system needs help, but the bulk of its best prospects are two seasons or more away from Kauffman Stadium. At the same time, the big league roster isn\u2019t that far from winning \u2014 now, and this winter, are the times to fine-tune it, not rip it apart and wait several long years for success.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe potential for a rotation exodus exists. Bubic can test free agency for the first time this winter. Ragans\u2019 recently-extended trip to the Injury List<\/a> renders his future uncertain, veterans Wacha and Seth Lugo<\/a> could be attractive at the deal deadline, and some teams are bound to offer up a good prospect or two for Kolek or Noah Cameron<\/a>\u2026 or both.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tNone of that, though, gives KC good cause to move multiple pieces of its rotation. If he\u2019s healthy, trading Bubic makes sense \u2014 he\u2019s liable to bolt in free agency and extending him a qualifying offer seems unlikely, so dealing him before August 3 guarantees the club more than the nothing he\u2019ll net them if he opts for free agency.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tBeyond Bubic, the Royals can afford to stand pat. Ragans\u2019 health poses serious questions, but the club shouldn\u2019t give up on him yet. Wacha and Lugo are signed through 2027, and the club holds one-year options<\/a> when those deals expire; both could play key roles next season when the Royals should be better. Kolek has been too impressive to dangle as prospect bait, and Cameron hasn\u2019t done anything to imperil his starter\u2019s spot.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tNo, the Royals have a solid rotation, diminished this season only by maddening injuries to important pieces. The organization\u2019s need for prospects isn\u2019t so extreme that Picollo should break up his starters to get unseasoned arms not yet suitable for prime time.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tA broken hamate bone has Pasquantino on the IL<\/a>, but that doesn\u2019t mean he won\u2019t be on the market. His reputation as a slugger and 100-plus-RBI man is well-deserved (he pounded 51 homers and drove in 210 runs across the 2024 and 2025 campaigns), and after a slow start this season, Kansas City\u2019s star first baseman was slashing .298\/.365\/.426 with a homer and seven RBI this month before going down June 13.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tThat he could be back before the deal deadline arrives means he might be shopped. And even if he isn\u2019t back, remember the Royals dealt Danny Duffy<\/a> to the Dodgers at the 2021 deadline when he was on the IL.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n\n\tThe 2026 Trade Deadline Isn\u2019t the Time To Start a Royals Rebuild\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/h2>\n\n\tThe Royals Should Not Blow Up Their Starting Rotation<\/span>
\n<\/h2>\n\n\tThe Royals Shouldn\u2019t Put Vinnie Pasquantino<\/a> On the Trade Block<\/span>
\n<\/h2>\n