June 8, 2022
The Kansas City Royals have had a disappointing start to the season so far, led by an abysmal start of the year for Salvador Perez at the plate, who is coming off a terrific season where he hit 48 jacks as a catcher. Hoping to be at least be competitive, the Royals have started off with a MLB worst 17-37 record, which is a .315 Winning Percentage. This is a huge regression from last year when they had a .457 winning percentage. The Royals will definitely be looking to unload some unneeded veterans, or some over-achieving relievers.
Gabe Speier: A name most people might not know, Speier is a 27-year-old lefthanded reliever. While he only has 38.2 innings under his belt in his career, he could be a target for a team looking for a mid-level reliever without making a big splash. So far this year, he has pitched to a 2.50 ERA in 18 innings with a 3.69 FIP. Statcast has his xERA posted at a 2.36 clip. That production would be valuable to any bullpen. He throws his slider 40.8 percent of the time, with his sinker, 4-Seam fastball, and an occasional changeup rounding out his arsenal. He has an extremely low barrel percentage this year, coming in at almost half of league average. His hard hit percentage is also well below league average. Meanwhile, he does this with a lower-than-average strikeout percentage, but a great walk percentage that is 3% lower than league average. Teams can trust him to throw strikes and get outs, which is very valuable in pennant races and obviously the playoffs. He must continue to prove himself after getting off the Covid list. Speier won’t be a Free Agent until 2028, making him all the more valuable in trade talks.
Andrew Benintendi: Benintendi, a first-round draft pick by the Boston Red Sox in 2015, never truly lived up to the lofty expectations set when he made his debut as a 21-year-old in 2016. He, however, has been a very consistent player since his arrival in the majors. His power numbers have been down slightly so far this year, but he is nonetheless having a very good year so far with a .320/.382/.411 line and a .793 OPS. He has a 14.6% strikeout percentage, which compared to the league average of 22.3%, is downright miniscule. He would be a great pickup for a lot of contenders for many reasons: He is reliable, he won’t strikeout a ton (like most players in today’s game), and he is also a great fielder (he won the Gold Glove in Leftfield last year). Benintendi’s power numbers have gone down thanks to a drop in his launch angle, which is 3 degrees lower than his career average. Statcast predicts that his average will regress a bit, as they give him a .273 xBA (Expected Batting Average). His average against breaking pitches has jumped by 91 points from last year, perhaps indicating his luck against those pitches might regress a little bit as the season continues. Nonetheless, he is an attractive trade chip because of the things I mentioned before. He will be a reliable presence to any contender’s outfield. Teams that could use him are the Yankees (although I don’t expect them to bench Gallo or Hicks), the Padres, the Phillies, and perhaps even the D-Backs if they go on a hot streak leading up to the deadline. Benintendi would be a rental, as he is a Free Agent after this season.
Hunter Dozier: While Dozier might not be a starter on most contenders, he could still be a very valuable piece of the puzzle. He could be a productive platoon DH, corner infielder, or even right fielder, or simply just a power bat off the bench if needed. 2019 is not that distant, when he hit 26 jacks with a .279 average. Even though he is a terrible fielder by most measures (though he would look like a gold glover on the Phillies most likely), he would still bring value. He still will barrel balls up (10.1 barrel percentage) and has a track record of hitting longballs as mentioned before, so teams will pretty much know what they are getting. Dozier will produce power, walks, and strikeouts. This season he even has a .257 average, which is an above average contribution. In a lot of stadiums, he would have more homers than he currently has according to Statcast, so perhaps moving to more hitter friendly confines would boost his power numbers, considering the Royals stadium is generally very pitcher friendly. Some teams that could use him are the Red Sox since Dalbec continues to struggle, the Braves for more insurance behind Olson other than Orlando Arcia who, in no offense, is NOT a first baseman, the Brewers (Dozier has been a more productive version of Keston Hiura this season), and even the Phillies, who probably would struggle immensely to a hole at first if Rhys Hoskins went down for an extended period of time. Dozier will be a Free Agent in 2026, making him a controllable option for suitors.
Scott Barlow: Serving as the Royals closer for the second straight year, Barlow has been absolutely excellent. The right-handed reliever has pitched to a 1.57 ERA this year with 5 saves (which is kind of impressive considering the Royals have 17 wins). This is all while his strikeout numbers have severely regressed from the past four seasons! He could serve as a trustworthy closer or a setup man for a contender. You can count on 70 innings of a solid to great reliever, as shown by his last 4 seasons. While Statcast projects that his ERA should be 3.23, that is still a great number, and would be wanted in any bullpen. While his strikeout rate has taken a dive this year, it is still better than the league average, which goes to show you how dominant he was the prior year. Barlow mostly uses two breaking pitches, his slider (45.3%), and his curveball (33.1%). He also will mix in a 4-Seam fastball which he uses 21.6% of the time. He has an extremely high chase rate (97th percentile in the MLB) and a low HardHit% (89th percentile). While the Royals might not want to part with their closer, he will definitely draw interest if proven available. Some teams that could use him are the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Astros, Twins, Dodgers, and Giants. Barlow will be a Free Agent in 2025, which means teams would get an extra two years of control out of him, meaning he would be a lofty price on the market.