This Braves-Royals Trade for Whit Merrifield Could Actually Work

The Kansas City Royals are in the midst of a massive rebuild in 2020. The team has failed to reach the 60-win mark each of the past two seasons and the goal now is keeping the payroll low and developing young talent.

That makes veteran Whit Merrifield a potential trade target this season, especially among contending teams. He has amassed a 15.1 WAR since reaching the majors in 2016 and is on a team-friendly deal through 2022 (and has a club option in 2023).

However, he's now 31 years old, which makes him a clear trade candidate for the rebuilding Royals since there's no sense of hanging onto him if he continues to put up All-Star numbers in a losing effort. One team that could be interested in his services and has the capital to pay for him is the Atlanta Braves.

Merrifield's defensive versatility would make him a perfect fit for the Braves and also provide Atlanta with a much-needed contact hitter. He's always putting the ball in play, which will be essential for a stacked Braves lineup that's always getting on base.

So what would the Braves have to give up here?

The Braves aren't giving up any of Christian Pache, Drew Waters or Ian Anderson, so don't count on that. However, their farm system is stacked with talent and they could afford to part with top catching prospect Shea Langeliers and pitching prospect Patrick Weigel. Think about the deal that the Royals made with the Athletics when KC acquired Ben Zobrist -- they parted ways with two pitching prospects, including the highly-regarded Sean Manaea. Merrifield is arguably better than Zobrist was at that point, so it'll cost the Braves a bit more.

Langeliers finished 2019 in Single-A after being drafted out of Baylor. He gets on base at a high clip and has proven to possess impeccable defense being the plate, throwing out 16 of 23 baserunners in his short stint in the minors last year. He's a younger option to eventually replace Salvador Perez for KC.

As for Weigel, though he's 25 years old, it seems he's finally found his way. He made an impact in Spring Training, allowing just two runs in 7.1 innings of work across six games. Between Double-A and Triple-A last year, he also finished with a 2.73 ERA in 28 games (18 starts).

If the Royals don't feel that's enough, perhaps throwing in Bryse Wilson will convince them. Despite being a top prospect, he's struggled in nine career games with the Braves, and perhaps a change of scenery could do him some good.