The Royals’ deadline shopping list should be a short one

The trade deadline is July 30, and now into the month of June, trade talk seems to be quietly picking up around the league. The Royals are among them, with General Manager J.J. Picollo stating an interest in the bullpen market. It seems as if the team is willing to explore opportunities as they arise, versus waiting for the trade market to fully develop. However, Picollo has also mentioned that the team may see how the month of June goes and then re-evaluate once again in July. Basically — as any competitive big league club would — the Royals have their ears to the ground listening for opportunities but will continue exploring all their options.

The Royals’ deadline approach doesn’t have to be drastic

What should those options include? For a time this season, the general consensus among those following the team was that the offense needed help. Now, more than a third of the way through the season, I’m not so sure that’s the case I’m pretty sure that isn’t the case. Entering Monday’s series against New York, the Royals offense had scored 329 runs this season. That ranks fifth in baseball behind only the Phillies, Dodgers, Yankees, and Orioles. The team’s 10.4 offensive fWAR ranks ninth, and their .725 OPS ranks eighth. The Royals offense has been better than some seem to realize.

If you turn your attention to just the outfield, the season-long numbers aren’t quite as peachy. On the season, Royals outfielders have combined for a .621 OPS — 28th in baseball. However, since May 12, that number is all the way up to .758, eighth in baseball in that span with the sixth-best ISO and 8th-best wRC+. The outfield situation doesn’t look nearly as dire as it did a month ago and for that reason, perhaps the Royals don’t need to entertain aggressive, “win-now” options on the trade market. The team’s offense has been among the best in baseball, and fixing what isn’t truly broken may not be much of a solution at all.

The bullpen needs some work but doesn’t need an All-Star

The team’s bullpen, on the other hand, needs some help. On the season, Kansas City relievers rank 21st with a 4.25 ERA. They rank dead last with an 18.0% strikeout rate and 27th with an opponent’s average of .252. Using the cherry-picked date of May 12 again, the bullpen has only gotten worse as the season has progressed. The bullpen ERA in that span is up to 4.90. If the Royals make any moves this summer, it seems like the bullpen is the clear place to start. Not only that, it might be the only place that needs any notable help.

Should the only dire need remain relief help, that should be seen as a best-case scenario for Kansas City. While some relievers can be rather expensive, the Royals don’t need to pursue the top of the reliever market to round out their bullpen. We already saw last season what the team could do with arms such as James McArthur, and this summer they should trust their coaching staff once again. The Royals front office invested heavily this offseason, building up a very healthy amount of depth. That depth shouldn’t be discarded now, it should be embraced. The team doesn’t need to make splash moves to move the needle: they just need to improve in the margins and trust the depth that’s taken them this far.