The Kansas City Royals have a long offseason ahead, hopefully filled with moves to improve the 106-loss roster from 2023. Leading into it, the general consensus around the team and front office is that change is coming. The team wants to acquire starting pitching, relief help, and upgrade their outfield. That’s a tall task for just one offseason, but all very necessary.

One such path that could come into focus sooner rather than later is the outfield. With Major League free agency officially kicking off on November 6, the wheels are already in motion for those players waiting for new contracts. Who knows how long that waiting will last, however. The market can start rather slow, especially this offseason when many teams are still unsure of their futures regarding regional television networks. With so many clubs uncertain on their future T.V. revenues, free agency could crawl to open the winter.

With a slow-moving free agent market, now is the time that General Manager J.J. Picollo should be getting ahead on potential trades — both acquisitions and departures. One of the largest names early on in trade talks looks to be the Boston Red Sox. Boston, who of course has recent trade history with the Royals, is reportedly prioritizing starting pitching this offseason. At the same time, the Red Sox have received offers on outfielder Alex Verdugo and they seem to be listening.

the royals and red sox look to be strong trade partners

The two organizations seem like a strong fit this winter. Brady Singer was on the market and heavily discussed at the summer trade deadline and could be on the move this winter. If the free agent market truly is as slow moving as it appears early on, Boston could look at someone like Singer as an opportunity to get a head start on their AL East rivals. The Yankees are poised and ready to spend big. Thus far, they’ve been linked to Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

In Verdugo, the Royals would be acquiring a true upgrade to an outfield that sorely needs some reliable production. He’s still just 27 years old and slashed .264/.324/.421 in 2023 with 13 home runs. He’s never truly been a serious home run threat at the plate, but throughout his career has made a name for himself hitting for average and getting on base. Through seven seasons, his career batting average is .281 and he’s gotten on base at a respectable 33% of the time.

Oddly enough, despite his on-base ability, Verdugo has never been one to walk at a very high clip. He walked just 7.4% in 2023, up from 6.5% in 2022. For his career, he’s been right around 7% as well. In perspective, however, that walk-rate suits him just fine. Verdugo struck out just 15.4% in 2023 and ranked 85th percentile in xBA, according to Baseball Savant.

Verdugo would immediately be the best outfielder on the Kansas City roster. He’d make a fine middle-of-the-order addition, paired with Bobby Witt Jr. and a returning Vinnie Pasquantino. In the field he has a strong arm and slightly above average range. Putting a rookie such as Tyler Gentry in left field with Verdugo in right would be a great start toward improving the Royals outfield in 2024.

What could a potential trade look like?

What might a trade look like? Verdugo has just one more year of club control remaining before he hits free agency. That limited club control could slightly reduce his overall trade value. Future Kansas City payroll obligations also make an extension rather easy to stomach. When talking trade, Brady Singer could offer more value than Verdugo. Should the Red Sox believe that Singer is more like the 4.30 FIP arm we saw over the second half of 2023.

Even if they don’t, the idea that three years of Brady Singer could net one year of Alex Verdugo shouldn’t be considered unrealistic. I’m generally not a fan of Baseball Trade Values and their trade simulator, but as long as you don’t take their designated values as the be-all, end-all then it’s a good frame of reference for what players could be worth.

Using that simulator, a trade looks possible assuming the Royals are truly willing to be transactional and make the moves needed to improve the roster now. Luis Perales is a 20-year-old starter who pitched 89.2 innings between Low-A and High-A last season. Over those 21 starts he had a 3.91 ERA and struck out 11.5 batters per nine innings. Walks were an issue, but he looks like the mold of pitcher the Royals could work with and help to improve command.

Bold moves are what should define the Royals offseason ahead of us, and there’s not many places that I’d rather start than acquiring a proven talent such as Alex Verdugo. If the Red Sox are truly willing to talk as reports seem to say, Kansas City should be making the call and finding out how to make a deal work.