The Kansas City Royals were considering trading for Miami Marlins player Luis Arráez before the San Diego Padres ended up getting him, according to a recent report from MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
“Last week, the Kansas City Royals, among others, reached out to the Marlins about Arráez, according to anonymous sources in the major leagues,” Rosenthal reported. “However, those discussions did not progress beyond the initial stage. The Padres had been interested in Arráez since the offseason (the Seattle Mariners had also expressed their long-standing interest at that time).”
The Kansas City Royals Could Have Put Together a Competitive Offer for Luis Arráez
Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix chose an offer from the Padres including outfielders Dillon Head and Jakob Marsee, first baseman Nathan Martorella, and pitcher Woo-Suk Go in return for Arráez. Bendix also agreed to cover a significant portion of Arráez’s $10.6 million salary for this season.
It’s not clear what the Royals might have offered for Arráez, but it did not take much for Padres’ president A.J. Preller to acquire the upcoming free agent from Miami.
“Preller didn’t give up anyone who would have been in the top five of his system,” R.J. Anderson stated for CBS Sports. “You could argue that he didn’t give up anyone who would have been in the top 10, depending on how you rank them. This doesn’t mean those players aren't talented, or that they can’t become valuable contributors at the major league level. But we think most people would agree that Preller was justified in taking a chance here considering the relatively low cost.”
But there are doubts about whether Arráez can truly make a difference for a team in the middle of a competitive playoff race, such as the Padres and Royals. He has won the MLB batting title twice, been an All-Star, and received the Silver Slugger award, but his ability to get on base compensates for a lack of power — he has a .424 career slugging percentage.
“Many people in the industry don’t see Arráez the way fans might. He doesn’t have much power, which makes it almost necessary for him to maintain his .325 career average. He is below average at second base and doesn’t possess the offensive profile for first base. Despite offering some versatility by also playing third and left field, his overall lack of fielding ability cancels that out,” Rosenthal pointed out.
The Kansas City Royals Might Still Complete a Trade With the Miami Marlins
Ultimately, the Royals will need to consider other options if they want to strengthen an already strong batting lineup in their pursuit of an American League Central division title. Even though their negotiations for Arráez fell through, they might want to talk to Bendix about numerous other players, as the Marlins appear to be in a selling mode.
“The Marlins have started a fire sale by sending two-time batting champion Luis Arráez to the San Diego Padres, even covering all but $592,796 of his remaining salary,” Bob Nightengale reported for USA Today. “Next in line? Center fielder Jazz Chisholm, their best all-around player with the highest trade value.”
The Royals may consider Chisholm a better option than Kyle Isbel, Garrett Hampson and Dairon Blanco. The Marlins are expected to also consider trade offers for shortstop Tim Anderson, reliever Tanner Scott, slugger Josh Bell and left-handed pitcher Jesus Luzardo.
