Royals Reported Expectations for Whit Merrifield Trade Are Incredibly High
By Sean Facey
The Kansas City Royals don't seem to be willing to part ways with one of their stars unless they're truly blown away.
Truly.
According to a report, the Royals are asking for at least three MLB-ready players in any deal for second baseman Whit Merrifield, which essentially means he's as off the table as we thought.
Whit Merrifield trade talk "is a non-starter unless the Royals receive three MLB-ready players who could help them right now, sources said"https://t.co/mALqdKuF7M
— Royals Review (@royalsreview) July 15, 2019
It makes sense that the Royals want to set the bar high for Merrifield. He's on a four-year, $16.25 million contract that also includes a $6.5 million club option. It's a bargain for a guy who ranks fourth in fWAR among second basemen and is slashing .309/.361/.500 in 2019.
That being said, Kansas City is asking for the moon here. Very rarely is a player worth three MLB-ready players who can have a positive impact. He might be on an extremely team friendly deal, but he's going to be nearing his mid-30s by the time it's done.
His .861 OPS also stands out as a significant outlier through the first four years of his career. In his next closest season, 2018, he finished with an .806 OPS and a slugging percentage 62 points lower than his mark of .500 this year.
Looking for someone to root for in the @MLB #AllStarGame? How about KC's @WhitMerrifield.
— Infield Chatter (@InfieldChatter) July 9, 2019
In 2015, he was a discouraged minor leaguer thinking about quitting.
Tonight, he's a first time #AllStar. ?? pic.twitter.com/MkQX1lJG32
Merrifield also has been fairly lucky this year. His hard-hit rate is in just the 19th percentile, and his xwOBA of .342 is a solid 20 points lower than his actual wOBA.
Time will tell if a team is willing to meet their outrageous demands. It's going to take a truly impressive offer to swindle Merrifield out of Kansas City.