As they were prior to the Winter Meetings in December, the Kansas City Royals are still searching for a middle-of-the-order bat, preferably one who plays either outfield or third base, but their options are dwindling.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer recently highlighted the “best landing spots for top MLB players linked to trade rumors” and proposed a mock trade where the Royals could acquire Chicago White Sox slugger Luis Robert Jr.
“This is purely speculative, but the Royals should try to acquire Robert from their AL Central rivals,” Rymer wrote. “They need offensive help for Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez, especially in center field. The position posted a .642 OPS and eight home runs last year, numbers that Robert easily surpassed even in a down year.”
In exchange for Robert, Rymer suggested the Royals could offer two top prospects: pitcher Ben Kudrna (ranked No. 3 in their system) and outfielder Gavin Cross (ranked No. 6).
“The Royals may not have a wealth of top prospects, but that also means they have little to protect,” Rymer noted. “After an unexpected playoff appearance this season, they might as well go all in.”
Should the Royals pursue a trade for Luis Robert Jr.?
In 2024, Robert posted a .224/.278/.379 slashline with 14 home runs and 35 RBI in 425 plate appearances. As Rymer noted, it was a “down year” for the center fielder, who had been an All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner the previous season, slashing .264/.315/.542 with 38 home runs, 80 RBI, and 20 stolen bases.
Despite his disappointing season, Robert remains a strong presence in the White Sox’s lineup, although injuries have been a recurring issue. He missed 62 games in 2024, and 2023 remains the only season he’s played over 100 games, missing the All-Star Game that year due to a calf injury.
Even with injury concerns, Robert would be a significant upgrade over the current outfield options for the Royals. In 2024, Kansas City cycled through MJ Melendez, Kyle Isbel, Hunter Renfroe, Tommy Pham, and Garrett Hampson, none of whom had an OPS over .700. While Pham and Hampson are now free agents, Isbel, Melendez, and Renfroe are expected to start in 2025.
Trading for Robert would allow the Royals to use Renfroe, who exercised his player option for 2025 after a poor 2024 season, as a depth piece, which could prove valuable if Robert faces further injuries.
Would the Royals trade two of their top prospects?
While Robert would significantly strengthen the Royals’ outfield and lineup, trading Kudrna and Cross for him is a more complex decision. If GM J.J. Picollo aims to adopt a win-now strategy for 2025 following the Royals’ surprising playoff push, the trade could make sense. However, given Robert’s injury history and declining stats, it’s a risky move that could backfire.
Kudrna and Cross are highly regarded prospects — ranked No. 3 and No. 6 in the Royals’ system — and are among the only two players in the team’s top 10 prospects expected to debut in 2025. By trading them, the Royals would be sacrificing two players they could potentially use this season, and since Cross is an outfielder, it may be wiser to continue developing him internally instead of acquiring Robert.
If Robert can stay healthy, he could be a game-changer for the Royals’ outfield, but the proposed trade remains unlikely. The team would be giving up future talent for an outfielder with significant injury concerns, making the move too risky at this point.
